Review - 'The Birthday Party' Dolphin Theatre UWA

The Birthday Party – Harold Pinter – Directed by Peter Clark Our night to the Dolphin Theatre was full of expectation of the unknown as I had not seen this play before, yet had heard of its chequered past, and mixed reviews. The play is not everyone’s cup of tea, I will admit, but it was impressive from start to finish with excellent level of performance and technical execution. The play is set in a living /dining area of a seedy rooming house at an unnamed English seaside resort and examines the emotional rollercoaster of interaction between very different characters. The curtain was raised to a dramatic introduction in the visual twilight of an audio crescendo culminating in a ‘drum’ sequence to set the tone. This was done to great effect and the director & technical people should justly proud of this scene, setting the tone of things to come. We are introduced to ‘ Petey’ (Phillip MacKenzie) & ‘Meg’ (Jacqui Warner) who both carried off their respective roles with a charming chemistry before heralding the arrival of ‘Stanley Webber’ played by Martin Lindsay who excelled himself throughout the performance. Warner & MacKenzies interaction with the character of Webber is simply a delight to watch. Indeed as an ensemble effort all the cast complimented each other extremely well. i.e 10/10 for casting Mr Director. Lindsay’s character starts with a mild level of annoyance (familiar ground for this accomplished actor) through severe angst to a final destructive climax. What and why I will leave you to discover by attending this play yourself. Enter Nyree Hughes as Lulu , a manipulative young woman who is a source of emotional turmoil for Webber as the play unfolds. Hughes should be justly proud of this performance as she played it expertly. Albany’s loss is our gain! The arrival of ‘Goldberg’ & ‘McCann’ who with air of benevolence mixed with evil foreboding gave some wonderful comic moments before unleashing their vitriolic fervour on Webber. Eddie Stowers as Goldberg gave sensational portrayal of a character that required a transition from a charming to a maleficent force on Webbers sanity. David Gregory played McCann, Goldberg’s accomplice with a great sense of comic timing, moving effortlessly to a level of evil intent. The direction of this production is to be applauded as Peter Clark has chosen to use a Spartan stage set to ensure the audience attention is placed firmly on the actors. My only suggestion was that while the subdued lighting was to create a cadaverous ambience, it was uneven stage left & right compared to a central bright spot. The set piece of the overhead spot was used to great effect through Webbers ‘interrogation’. This play is not for the faint hearted. Many levels of violence are portrayed, emotional and physical, suppressed and overt. It is however a powerful story that as the directors states ‘ should leave you asking questions as to what you have experienced’ . Final verdict: Anyone who craves to see an excellent performance of something different before the Christmas season brings a raft of ‘light & fluffy’ seasons, should definitely see ‘The Birthday Party’. Review by K.Harris