REVIEW: 'The Club' – Whitehorse Centre

By Richard Walsh (as posted on the Arts Hub website) Christine Harris and HIT Production’s record breaking tour of David Williamson’s play The Club is now in it’s 33rd week and the superb cast, starring Australian legend John Wood and directed by Bruce Myles, are showing no signs of tiring as they continue their national circuit. Christoher Donelly (Laurie), Guy Kable (Geoff), Dennis Moore (Ted), Christopher Parker (Danny) and Simon Wilton (Gerry) make up the remainder of the cast of this show about the gradual and heart wrenching decline of club loyalty and tradition in favour of ‘the almighty dollar’. In my opinion, The Club is easily the best of Williamson’s pre 1980 plays. Although some of the stereotypes and one dimensional characters contained in this show are irksome, it is perhaps the one that will stand the test of time with it’s universal appeal and subject matter. These days in Australia we are all too aware that most people operate on many more levels than Williamson’s early plays allow for and that not all business people are evil. That’s why I for one object to the simplicity of the early stuff. This is about footy, however, so all that development of our cultural identity goes out the window – in my opinion. Let me contradict myself further and betray another of my biases and confess (proudly after yesterday’s triumph against the Tigers) that I am a one eyed Collingwood supporter who cried when we left Victoria Park and who despises the corporate flim-flam of modern football so intensely that I now observe coolly from afar – refusing to pay twenty something dollars for a ticket or $4.50 for a pie. My fortnightly football fix is now obtained at my local VFL ground (Sandringham - ironically one of the supporters of this production) where I can drink full strength beer from a can, smoke in the open air, hurl whatever abuse I like at the players, eat cheap pies that haven’t been put in a microwave and walk home at the end of it all with change from $50 in my pocket. It used to be so with the AFL too. On the production side of things Anna Borghesi’s 70s costumes are hilarious and the set totally appropriate. Glen Hughes’ lighting is on the mark and very effective. A superstar like John Wood, as the self serving Jock, easily helps us return to that era. Now I had never seen Wood live before and can I just say that all the good things you’ve heard about this remarkable actor are true. In playing Jock, Wood demonstrates his enormous range as an actor effortlessly shifting from hilarity to anger, from pathos to cruelty, from the best bloke you’d ever meet to one who’d stomp on your head if nobody was watching. His energy is matched by Christopher Connelly as Laurie – the loyal and trusting coach who expects to see his loyalty returned after years of outstanding service. Christopher Parker made a good fist of club stalwart Danny and looked authentically 70s enough in his black and white trackies and trademark flanks. Simon Wilton did well to achieve the level of oiliness required to portray the slimy football administrator, Gerry, so accurately. I’m sure you will cringe as I did if you get a chance to witness his hand wringing, for-lock tugging, double speaking incarnation. Even his walk and body language were paid the part well. Whether this was deliberate or not it worked beautifully. Wilton is incredibly authentic. The audience were gradually repulsed as Gerry’s true nature was revealed. An ominous warning? Perhaps. Also wonderful is rising star Guy Kable. Kable is hilarious as Geoff the stoner football star who's is re-evaluating the importance of the game since getting a girlfiend and discovering pot. Denis Moore is superb as Ted the failing president – all heart and no knowledge of the game. Living out his childhood fantasy of playing the game vicariously through the team he presides over. Failing miserably but never expecting that the corporate knives being sharpened behind his back would slice quite so viciously or so deep. Moore gets us to sympathize with this seemingly cretinous chap and I for one left the theatre in two minds about him. Two minds about Williamson as well who at least still inspires discussion about the issues he addresses. While there is no doubt the brilliant cast had to work hard to keep the pace at an acceptable level, because of Williamson’s overly wordy script, they manage to pull it off and demonstrate that in such capable hands The Club is as entertaining and funny today as ever before.