The Bald Prima Donna
Thu, 8 Dec 2005, 07:22 amWalter Plinge1 post in thread
The Bald Prima Donna
Thu, 8 Dec 2005, 07:22 amThe Bald Prima Donna
A One-Act Pseudo-Play by Ionesco
Absurd Productions
Seen 26 November 2005
Things just weren’t as they seemed in the Walter Reid Cultural Centre at the weekend. Fortunately for the audience, this was exactly the way it was meant to be as we were treated to the bizarre world of Theatre of the Absurd. Craig Rogers’ and Janet Palmer’s fledgling production company Absurd Productions have bounced onto the Rockhampton stage with their inaugural offering The Bald Prima Donna. A much lauded “anti-play” by renowned absurdist author Ionesco is almost ironically a clever social satire of life in middle-class London.
The set hints at what is to come with clashing colours and divergent lines, but of course it is the action on stage which brings the piece to life. A “typically English” couple Mr and Mrs Smith are waiting for their friends Mr and Mrs Martin, who have never met. An under worked fireman drops by while Maid-cum-detective Mary provides a commentary. If that sounds confusing it’s because it is meant to be, and is certainly no easy task for the actors on stage. The sheer verbosity of this script means that it has to be word perfect and for this Absurd Productions don’t miss a beat.
Director Janet Palmer has her cast teetering on a knife edge while maintaining a fluidity of purpose to the absurdist art form. This sweeps up the audience and takes us on their madcap ride even though our perception of what is real is being pushed beyond the extreme. PalmerÂ’s abundant use of physical theatre heightens the dialogue and accentuates its rhythm. The action is punctuated by clock chimes and a clever almost atonal soundtrack which underpins the bizarre.
The cast have cleverly identified the idiosyncrasies of their characters and then pushed the boundaries to find the place where the illogical and hilarious intertwine. Palmer is electrifying and eccentric as Mrs Smith with an energy that the other players feed off and to which is integral to the show. Zac Garvan as Mr Smith in his theatre debut provides his wifeÂ’s perfect foil as the typically English husband with a series of non-descript grunts. The uptight Mrs Martin is captured by Niccole Sundstrom as she dotters around onstage with a tea cup which with each spillage washes away her seemingly shiny exterior. Craig Zonca goes from the nerd-like to sleazebag as Mr Martin and was very impressive physically with his role. Brad Villiers as the under employed fireman burst onto stage with an energy necessary to handle his wordiness! Maia Keerie had such a Machiavelli look in her eye as the maid, which gave us depth past the subservient.
Absurd Productions have proved that you don’t need a big budget to produce good theatre. There certainly is a niche for fringe theatre in Central Queensland, and as Absurd Productions looks to further projects, theatre-goers can expect to be treated to exciting alternative pieces. With a debut like this Absurd Productions can be assured that the bizarre is the new “in” and the absurd is the new “cool”.
Reviewed by Grant Pegg
A One-Act Pseudo-Play by Ionesco
Absurd Productions
Seen 26 November 2005
Things just weren’t as they seemed in the Walter Reid Cultural Centre at the weekend. Fortunately for the audience, this was exactly the way it was meant to be as we were treated to the bizarre world of Theatre of the Absurd. Craig Rogers’ and Janet Palmer’s fledgling production company Absurd Productions have bounced onto the Rockhampton stage with their inaugural offering The Bald Prima Donna. A much lauded “anti-play” by renowned absurdist author Ionesco is almost ironically a clever social satire of life in middle-class London.
The set hints at what is to come with clashing colours and divergent lines, but of course it is the action on stage which brings the piece to life. A “typically English” couple Mr and Mrs Smith are waiting for their friends Mr and Mrs Martin, who have never met. An under worked fireman drops by while Maid-cum-detective Mary provides a commentary. If that sounds confusing it’s because it is meant to be, and is certainly no easy task for the actors on stage. The sheer verbosity of this script means that it has to be word perfect and for this Absurd Productions don’t miss a beat.
Director Janet Palmer has her cast teetering on a knife edge while maintaining a fluidity of purpose to the absurdist art form. This sweeps up the audience and takes us on their madcap ride even though our perception of what is real is being pushed beyond the extreme. PalmerÂ’s abundant use of physical theatre heightens the dialogue and accentuates its rhythm. The action is punctuated by clock chimes and a clever almost atonal soundtrack which underpins the bizarre.
The cast have cleverly identified the idiosyncrasies of their characters and then pushed the boundaries to find the place where the illogical and hilarious intertwine. Palmer is electrifying and eccentric as Mrs Smith with an energy that the other players feed off and to which is integral to the show. Zac Garvan as Mr Smith in his theatre debut provides his wifeÂ’s perfect foil as the typically English husband with a series of non-descript grunts. The uptight Mrs Martin is captured by Niccole Sundstrom as she dotters around onstage with a tea cup which with each spillage washes away her seemingly shiny exterior. Craig Zonca goes from the nerd-like to sleazebag as Mr Martin and was very impressive physically with his role. Brad Villiers as the under employed fireman burst onto stage with an energy necessary to handle his wordiness! Maia Keerie had such a Machiavelli look in her eye as the maid, which gave us depth past the subservient.
Absurd Productions have proved that you don’t need a big budget to produce good theatre. There certainly is a niche for fringe theatre in Central Queensland, and as Absurd Productions looks to further projects, theatre-goers can expect to be treated to exciting alternative pieces. With a debut like this Absurd Productions can be assured that the bizarre is the new “in” and the absurd is the new “cool”.
Reviewed by Grant Pegg