Serpentine
Sun, 25 July 2004, 11:29 pmWalter Plinge3 posts in thread
Serpentine
Sun, 25 July 2004, 11:29 pmWHAT: Serpentine
WHEN: Saturday, July 24 (2004)
WHERE: The Blue Room (Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge)
Whoa! This was great! A truly enjoyable production, highly recommended.
Briefly, and without trying to give too much away, Serpentine opens with two police officers investigating a crime scene. It's the latest incident in an ongoing serial murder investigation. Unremarkably, the officers meet one of the victim's neighbours, an introvert named Anthony Grey. As the investigation progresses, it soon becomes apparent Grey knows much more than first imagined. "As the layers of truth and deception are frantically stripped away, they reveal a man utterly convinced that he is the devil incarnate... and a police detective whoÂ’s willing to believe him." (I stole that last bit from the publicity release.)
The police officers are played by Kingsley Judd and Sonia Marcon. I regret to say I haven't seen Sonia before. On first impression I thought she was a little young for a police detective (it must have been her short hair and huge, expressive eyes) but this was quickly dispelled as she took control of her character. I've seen Kingsley in many productions and he has NEVER failed to convince me that he is 100% invested in his character. The man is a chameleon and has ample opportunity to showcase it here....
As the detectives meet the next door neighbour, Kingsley takes on the role of Grey (while Sonia conducts the questions). The change in attitude is immediate. Kingsley's voice changes completely, he hunches and effects a slight tremor. As the play progresses, and the stakes intensify, both performers alternate playing Grey. Initially timid, we soon start to realise Grey has a lot more up his sleeve. Tensions skyrocket as control of the ensuing interrogations starts to spiral away from the detectives.
Writer Grant Watson needs no introduction, but I don't want him to feel left out, so let's just say he's written a lot of original, highly popular stuff including the wildly successful Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World. Obviously a fan of '70s and '80s TV police dramas, some of the play's most amusing breaks in the tension come during the characters' (and thus Grant's) reminiscences and "reasons I became a cop". Can I assume Grant's a fan of Neil Gaiman's work, too?
In fact, I recognised (or imagined I recognised) a whole suit of influences. The opening was very X-Files in nature and I caught a nod or two to Se7en. There was also an hilariously concise and accurate summation of Network Television's current Number One Drama.
Director Sarah Xu has taken a very clever script and fashioned an utterly enthralling thriller. The difficult aspect of characters playing dual roles was handled so well that, after a while, I had forgotten they were ever anyone else. The choreography and blocking in the extremely limited space was almost faultless. The lighting was a major help in setting the eerie mood as well as in delineating locations and characters.
Look, I hate to just write barefaced praise - it so often seems fake. This was a great show but one or two things made me wonder. Much as I admire Kingsley's performances, I did think his accent at the start was a little too over-the-top Okker. It's obviously to contrast with the softer-spoken Grey, but once or twice it seemed a bit TOO strong as though he was noticeably trying to act. Sorry, mate, sorry. It did level out as the play progressed. And while Sonia's portrayal of Grey was devilishly spooky, it didn't completely correspond with what Kingsley had done with the character. I don't know if this was a conscious choice, but if Kingsley's Grey had hunched shoulders then I was a little puzzled that Sonia's Grey didn't hold himself likewise (at least initially).
But hey, these are just minor points. As I said, it's a great show and I enjoyed it thoroughly. A friend of mine thought it went a little long but the length didn't bother me at all. At just over an hour I was absolutely enthralled. I bet you will be too.
JB
WHEN: Saturday, July 24 (2004)
WHERE: The Blue Room (Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge)
Whoa! This was great! A truly enjoyable production, highly recommended.
Briefly, and without trying to give too much away, Serpentine opens with two police officers investigating a crime scene. It's the latest incident in an ongoing serial murder investigation. Unremarkably, the officers meet one of the victim's neighbours, an introvert named Anthony Grey. As the investigation progresses, it soon becomes apparent Grey knows much more than first imagined. "As the layers of truth and deception are frantically stripped away, they reveal a man utterly convinced that he is the devil incarnate... and a police detective whoÂ’s willing to believe him." (I stole that last bit from the publicity release.)
The police officers are played by Kingsley Judd and Sonia Marcon. I regret to say I haven't seen Sonia before. On first impression I thought she was a little young for a police detective (it must have been her short hair and huge, expressive eyes) but this was quickly dispelled as she took control of her character. I've seen Kingsley in many productions and he has NEVER failed to convince me that he is 100% invested in his character. The man is a chameleon and has ample opportunity to showcase it here....
As the detectives meet the next door neighbour, Kingsley takes on the role of Grey (while Sonia conducts the questions). The change in attitude is immediate. Kingsley's voice changes completely, he hunches and effects a slight tremor. As the play progresses, and the stakes intensify, both performers alternate playing Grey. Initially timid, we soon start to realise Grey has a lot more up his sleeve. Tensions skyrocket as control of the ensuing interrogations starts to spiral away from the detectives.
Writer Grant Watson needs no introduction, but I don't want him to feel left out, so let's just say he's written a lot of original, highly popular stuff including the wildly successful Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World. Obviously a fan of '70s and '80s TV police dramas, some of the play's most amusing breaks in the tension come during the characters' (and thus Grant's) reminiscences and "reasons I became a cop". Can I assume Grant's a fan of Neil Gaiman's work, too?
In fact, I recognised (or imagined I recognised) a whole suit of influences. The opening was very X-Files in nature and I caught a nod or two to Se7en. There was also an hilariously concise and accurate summation of Network Television's current Number One Drama.
Director Sarah Xu has taken a very clever script and fashioned an utterly enthralling thriller. The difficult aspect of characters playing dual roles was handled so well that, after a while, I had forgotten they were ever anyone else. The choreography and blocking in the extremely limited space was almost faultless. The lighting was a major help in setting the eerie mood as well as in delineating locations and characters.
Look, I hate to just write barefaced praise - it so often seems fake. This was a great show but one or two things made me wonder. Much as I admire Kingsley's performances, I did think his accent at the start was a little too over-the-top Okker. It's obviously to contrast with the softer-spoken Grey, but once or twice it seemed a bit TOO strong as though he was noticeably trying to act. Sorry, mate, sorry. It did level out as the play progressed. And while Sonia's portrayal of Grey was devilishly spooky, it didn't completely correspond with what Kingsley had done with the character. I don't know if this was a conscious choice, but if Kingsley's Grey had hunched shoulders then I was a little puzzled that Sonia's Grey didn't hold himself likewise (at least initially).
But hey, these are just minor points. As I said, it's a great show and I enjoyed it thoroughly. A friend of mine thought it went a little long but the length didn't bother me at all. At just over an hour I was absolutely enthralled. I bet you will be too.
JB
Re: Reviewing old posts
Wed, 28 July 2004, 12:43 pmHi Jarrod, I was looking through some old posts, and I found one from 5 years ago, giving people information about the upcoming audition of "The Last Supper". I was wondering who wrote it, how much the royalties were, who you had to pay them to, and lastly, how long the show was. If you have any of this information left over, I would greatly appreciate it.
[%sig%]