REVIEW: 'Catalpa' - Melbourne

Originally posted on the Arts Hub website. Written by Chris Thorpe It’s a romantic notion many actors have about producing and starring in their own one-person show, to play to sell-out audiences (or even to just a few) and to feel the sense of accomplishment, respect for hard work and the ever-important (literal) spotlight on them, onstage, for two hours. It is also another thing to pull it off – and to pull it off with any degree of success is harder still! Irish born actor Des Fleming, both the producer and actor (how does he do it?) in Catalpa, a seemingly epic story of “a little known chapter of Australian convict history”, has not only acknowledged this romantic notion, but has executed it both on and off stage to bring an entertaining (if sometimes melodramatic) story about, what simply is, a man who has written a screenplay of the Catalpa story and wants it produced – you guessed it! - in Hollywood of course! Fleming portrays many a-character, the first of which is Matthew Kidd – the “writer” of which his screenplay, about George Anthony, the Captain of the whaling ship Catalpa, sends the audience in a two hour (too long?) long journey from East Coast America to as far as… well, Fremantle, as the case may be, and back again. Dialogue from the numerous characters is constantly interjected by the visual description of the screenplay, verbalised by Kidd, to carry the audience on the fact that it is a descriptive screenplay wanting to see the light of day – only it is being literally acted out by its writer. Fleming gives a clean, polished and thoroughly engaging performance. His characterisations were tight and his presence was utterly refreshing. On what could have been an epic labour of verbal mumbo jumbo, Fleming made the (probably too many) characters his own, as well as keeping both the poignancy and humour, that was laced throughout the script, as a fresh perspective. Dialogue was sometimes a little rushed, but always captivating. The production has quality, the mood enhancing music by Wally Gunn was all together beautiful and the direction – simple, restrained and effective. Refreshing theatre in Melbourne is a rare bird these days and this production of Catalpa is just that. Itch Productions is a welcome addition to Melbourne Theatre. Keep out an eye for Itch Production’s future shows, they might well be worth it.