A Happy and Holy Occasion
Sun, 11 Aug 2002, 11:41 pmWalter Plinge3 posts in thread
A Happy and Holy Occasion
Sun, 11 Aug 2002, 11:41 pmWHAT: A Happy and Holy Occasion
WHEN: Saturday, August 3 (2002)
WHERE: Old Mill Theatre (South Perth, WA)
I've got to say that the poster/flyer/advertising material didn't really inspire me to go and see this play. If it wasn't for the fact that a friend was in it, I may have unwittingly dismissed it as an advertisement for some sort of religious ceremony. Consisting merely of Christ on a crucifix, with some soft-focus beer bottles in the background, it reminded me of a popular conspiracy theory (Jesus and his twelve mates get together for a party; Jesus gets pretty drunk; his mates coerce him into dragging a log up a hill, then they strip him to his loincloth and tie him comatose to the log; some passers-by think he's dead, take him down and bury him; on the third day, he's slept it off, and returns to his friends).
Right, now that I've offended all the Catholics into leaving, I can get stuck into the play. Set in 1942 Newcastle, NSW, the "Happy and Holy Occasion" is the acceptance of young Christopher O'Mahon to the seminary to begin his studies for the priesthood. His parents invite friends and family around for a few drinks. As the evening wears on, we get to see the horrible attitudes and social mores of the era.
This staunchly Catholic, Irish family is headed by father, Denny (Patrick Abbott) and mother, Mary (Susan Lynch). It was very nice to see Sue in front of the camera (so to speak) for a change, and Patrick, an absolute natural, is always a joy to watch. Impoverished, but terribly proud (and stubborn), it breaks Denny's heart to have to ask best friend Tocky (Patrick Kilcoyne) for a loan to help pay the seminary's expenses. Tocky refuses, primarily because he doesn't like Mary.
And this is where my anger started to manifest. Tocky hates Mary because young Christopher was born seven months after Mary married his best friend, Denny. Despite Mary's insistence that Christopher was premature, Tocky is convinced that Christopher was conceived before the marriage. Obviously the foul temptress is responsible for luring his best friend astray. As tempers rise and sobriety diminishes, Tocky quite happily beats Mary for her sins, WHILE DENNY IS IN THE ROOM TURNING A BLIND EYE!
I'm sorry, but I find it hard to get past this. Denny just stands there while his wife is punched and kicked by Tocky and everybody accepts that it serves Mary right for being such a slut.
The prejudice is almost incomprehensible. We're not talking about medieval times either, just a mere 60 years ago. Did people really act and think this way? Did Catholics believe that women somehow got pregnant all on their own? Who knows - I wouldn't put anything past any religion wherein a high-ranking official can dismiss as "trivial" abuse of children by its own members, whilst condemning others for choosing what to do with their own bodies.
Chatting with some of the cast after the show, I found that they were all deeply affected and unnerved by the script. Plays like this are important because they remind us of the evils of dogmatism and irrational prejudice. Certainly it was difficult to watch but hopefully it will be appreciated for the condemnation that it is.
I found a few aspects confusing. During the evening's celebrations (before people got too drunk and violent), gifts were given and promised to young Christopher (whom everyone insisted on calling Christy, but that's a girl's name so I'll not use it here). Christopher was promised a chalice (an ornate cup), a monstro? (something to do with Japanese monster movies perhaps) and a Beretta (a small handgun originally used by James Bond, but abandoned in favour of the more powerful and reliable Walther PPK). A strange choice of gifts for a young teenager, but again, these were people of a different time. Perhaps some explanatory notes could have been included in the programme.
Once again, this has gone on far too long, but a couple of other people impressed me. Eugene Arthurs made a very good Father O'Gorman, becoming progressively paralytic throughout the evening. But the real find was first-timer Nicola Gannon, as family friend Breda Mulcahy. Stunningly attractive with indisputable stage presence, powerful projection and assertive body language, one would never realise it was her first time on stage.
Thank you (I think :-) ) to directors Siobhan O'Gara and Les Hart for a production I'll not soon forget and a play that certainly made us realise that "the good old days" weren't all they're cracked up to be.
JB
WHEN: Saturday, August 3 (2002)
WHERE: Old Mill Theatre (South Perth, WA)
I've got to say that the poster/flyer/advertising material didn't really inspire me to go and see this play. If it wasn't for the fact that a friend was in it, I may have unwittingly dismissed it as an advertisement for some sort of religious ceremony. Consisting merely of Christ on a crucifix, with some soft-focus beer bottles in the background, it reminded me of a popular conspiracy theory (Jesus and his twelve mates get together for a party; Jesus gets pretty drunk; his mates coerce him into dragging a log up a hill, then they strip him to his loincloth and tie him comatose to the log; some passers-by think he's dead, take him down and bury him; on the third day, he's slept it off, and returns to his friends).
Right, now that I've offended all the Catholics into leaving, I can get stuck into the play. Set in 1942 Newcastle, NSW, the "Happy and Holy Occasion" is the acceptance of young Christopher O'Mahon to the seminary to begin his studies for the priesthood. His parents invite friends and family around for a few drinks. As the evening wears on, we get to see the horrible attitudes and social mores of the era.
This staunchly Catholic, Irish family is headed by father, Denny (Patrick Abbott) and mother, Mary (Susan Lynch). It was very nice to see Sue in front of the camera (so to speak) for a change, and Patrick, an absolute natural, is always a joy to watch. Impoverished, but terribly proud (and stubborn), it breaks Denny's heart to have to ask best friend Tocky (Patrick Kilcoyne) for a loan to help pay the seminary's expenses. Tocky refuses, primarily because he doesn't like Mary.
And this is where my anger started to manifest. Tocky hates Mary because young Christopher was born seven months after Mary married his best friend, Denny. Despite Mary's insistence that Christopher was premature, Tocky is convinced that Christopher was conceived before the marriage. Obviously the foul temptress is responsible for luring his best friend astray. As tempers rise and sobriety diminishes, Tocky quite happily beats Mary for her sins, WHILE DENNY IS IN THE ROOM TURNING A BLIND EYE!
I'm sorry, but I find it hard to get past this. Denny just stands there while his wife is punched and kicked by Tocky and everybody accepts that it serves Mary right for being such a slut.
The prejudice is almost incomprehensible. We're not talking about medieval times either, just a mere 60 years ago. Did people really act and think this way? Did Catholics believe that women somehow got pregnant all on their own? Who knows - I wouldn't put anything past any religion wherein a high-ranking official can dismiss as "trivial" abuse of children by its own members, whilst condemning others for choosing what to do with their own bodies.
Chatting with some of the cast after the show, I found that they were all deeply affected and unnerved by the script. Plays like this are important because they remind us of the evils of dogmatism and irrational prejudice. Certainly it was difficult to watch but hopefully it will be appreciated for the condemnation that it is.
I found a few aspects confusing. During the evening's celebrations (before people got too drunk and violent), gifts were given and promised to young Christopher (whom everyone insisted on calling Christy, but that's a girl's name so I'll not use it here). Christopher was promised a chalice (an ornate cup), a monstro? (something to do with Japanese monster movies perhaps) and a Beretta (a small handgun originally used by James Bond, but abandoned in favour of the more powerful and reliable Walther PPK). A strange choice of gifts for a young teenager, but again, these were people of a different time. Perhaps some explanatory notes could have been included in the programme.
Once again, this has gone on far too long, but a couple of other people impressed me. Eugene Arthurs made a very good Father O'Gorman, becoming progressively paralytic throughout the evening. But the real find was first-timer Nicola Gannon, as family friend Breda Mulcahy. Stunningly attractive with indisputable stage presence, powerful projection and assertive body language, one would never realise it was her first time on stage.
Thank you (I think :-) ) to directors Siobhan O'Gara and Les Hart for a production I'll not soon forget and a play that certainly made us realise that "the good old days" weren't all they're cracked up to be.
JB
Re: A Hat and a whole new Elocution
Tue, 13 Aug 2002, 11:28 pmActually, "Baretta" was the title of the 1970's cop series starring Robert Blake.
The company that produces the firearms Jarrod mentioned is spelled "Beretta".
The italian spelling of the Roman Catholic square tasseled cap is "biretta", although I've seen beretta, birretta, and baretta also used.
I think they both have their roots in the French word "barrette" which was a cap worn by soldiers, and has now become "beret".
Cheers,
Craig
PS: Confusing the word "monstrance" is simply monstrous, I wish to remonstrate.
The company that produces the firearms Jarrod mentioned is spelled "Beretta".
The italian spelling of the Roman Catholic square tasseled cap is "biretta", although I've seen beretta, birretta, and baretta also used.
I think they both have their roots in the French word "barrette" which was a cap worn by soldiers, and has now become "beret".
Cheers,
Craig
PS: Confusing the word "monstrance" is simply monstrous, I wish to remonstrate.