Tilting Ground
Sat, 3 Aug 2002, 01:52 amWalter Plinge2 posts in thread
Tilting Ground
Sat, 3 Aug 2002, 01:52 amWHAT: Tilting Ground
WHEN: Friday, August 2
WHERE: Harbour Theatre (Fremantle, WA)
Just returned from the (second) opening night of Harbour's latest play. Tilting Ground actually opened last year, but after (I think) one performance the season had to be cancelled due to a sudden and serious illness suffered by one of the leads. Fortunately, the original cast and director (Joyce Iles) managed to return to this three-handed drama.
The play is set on the patio of a beach house in Mexico, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Nancy (Marcia Holt) had moved there after her husband's death. Over time, she met, befriended and eventually married Charles (Alan Kennedy), a retired British actor. A rather large spanner is thrown into the idyllic setting when Nancy's adult son, Jack (Karl Hale), turns up after an absence of more than a year.
Act 1 started very leisurely: the effective, attractive set, bright tropical lights, tranquil music, gentle soundtrack of seagulls and surf, all combining to transport us to Puerto Escondido. I found the pace a little slow at first, and my mind wandered once or twice, but I soon got drawn in by the strong characters. The plot is simple - Jack resents Charles's intrusion - but the characters bring the play alive.
Without giving away too much of the plot, let's just say that Jack turns out to be a seriously nasty piece of work as his efforts to belittle Charles, and his deceptions to his own mother, escalate. The situation comes to a head and we are left with an utterly heartwrenching finale.
All three cast members were good, but Nancy's character was overshadowed a little by the conflict between the two males. Karl Hale's Jack was the most despicable character I've seen in some time and, as I've said previously, you know you've got the audience in your pocket when you get booed at the curtain call. I have seen Alan Kennedy before (most notably in "Habeas Corpus") and am always awestruck by his impeccable diction, projection and overall delivery - a pleasure to watch.
An obscure little play - apparently it's the first time it's been produced outside the UK - but well worth a look as a strong, character-driven drama.
JB
WHEN: Friday, August 2
WHERE: Harbour Theatre (Fremantle, WA)
Just returned from the (second) opening night of Harbour's latest play. Tilting Ground actually opened last year, but after (I think) one performance the season had to be cancelled due to a sudden and serious illness suffered by one of the leads. Fortunately, the original cast and director (Joyce Iles) managed to return to this three-handed drama.
The play is set on the patio of a beach house in Mexico, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Nancy (Marcia Holt) had moved there after her husband's death. Over time, she met, befriended and eventually married Charles (Alan Kennedy), a retired British actor. A rather large spanner is thrown into the idyllic setting when Nancy's adult son, Jack (Karl Hale), turns up after an absence of more than a year.
Act 1 started very leisurely: the effective, attractive set, bright tropical lights, tranquil music, gentle soundtrack of seagulls and surf, all combining to transport us to Puerto Escondido. I found the pace a little slow at first, and my mind wandered once or twice, but I soon got drawn in by the strong characters. The plot is simple - Jack resents Charles's intrusion - but the characters bring the play alive.
Without giving away too much of the plot, let's just say that Jack turns out to be a seriously nasty piece of work as his efforts to belittle Charles, and his deceptions to his own mother, escalate. The situation comes to a head and we are left with an utterly heartwrenching finale.
All three cast members were good, but Nancy's character was overshadowed a little by the conflict between the two males. Karl Hale's Jack was the most despicable character I've seen in some time and, as I've said previously, you know you've got the audience in your pocket when you get booed at the curtain call. I have seen Alan Kennedy before (most notably in "Habeas Corpus") and am always awestruck by his impeccable diction, projection and overall delivery - a pleasure to watch.
An obscure little play - apparently it's the first time it's been produced outside the UK - but well worth a look as a strong, character-driven drama.
JB