THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - Lawson Productions - Rechabites Hall, Perth

When the house lights came up at the conclusion of the final act, not a single audience member left the auditorium for a full 2 minutes. Like me, they had turned to their companions to mutter hypotheses about what they’d just witnessed. Was it the IRA? Was Stanley dead? Is the whole thing a dream? A religious cult? All theories, and each interpretation could be right. I saw this on opening night and I’m not a big fan of giving too much away in reviews, so forgive me if I am a little cryptic, but when you see this show, I want you to enjoy the surprises as much as I did. The beginning? Very cool! When the powerful music commanded our attention, the bare stage and bare actors rapidly became set and characters. To me the statement was: “Make no mistake, this is not reality. This is going to be a theatrical experience”. I feel it set the convention nicely. Was this the intention of the Director, Peter Clark? Who knows? Peter is fast becoming known in Perth theatre circles as somewhat of a risk taker, making bold choices and putting his personal flavour into the classic works of reputable authors. This was evident recently in his production of Ibsen’s Ghosts at Marloo. The Peter Clark stamp of (some may say) borderline inappropriate sexual undertone was present, nonetheless I found it to be an effective, somewhat confronting and often comical interpretation of the script. When Peter and the cast produced The Birthday Party with GRADS at The Dolphin in 2007 they came away with 2 Finley nominations and excellent reviews. Jacqui Warner was up for Best Actress for her portrayal of Meg. Her performance last night was executed with precision. To me she embraced the character’s search for normalcy with her circular routines, structured blocking and the impeccable way she delivered her repeated lines with consistent tone and inflection (Is it nice?) which had the audience tittering with laughter. In contrast Petey, played by Phillip Mackenzie, seemed natural and grounded in reality (aside from attempting to hang his hat on a non-existent hook on the wall – nice touch). Phillip, like many of the cast members, made great use of the famous “Pinter Pause” and throughout the show his performance became more and more engaging until finally drawing the audience into his character’s personal world of dilemma and sacrifice in the final dynamic minutes of the play. Martin Lindsay (Stanley) embraced the character with great commitment. He gave a very physical performance and depicted his journey from brash confidence to panic to total breakdown with animated intensity. His fear gave me a sense that Stanley had been expecting this day to come, that he was the only character actually aware of the identity of the “gentlemen”, the only one to recognise the true nature of the events unfolding before them all. Ironically, contrasted to Meg in the first few scenes, he actually appeared more sane. Nyree Hughes was ravishing as Lulu, ranging from seductive and teasing in her treatment of Stanley to coy and playful at the party. Finally she portrays the victim, insecure and with explosive rage. An all round natural and very watchable actress. The arrival of Goldberg and McCann was marked with backlighting through the doorway which immediately alerted us that they were not quite of our world, although we knew not why or from where they’d come. Their black suits and slick looks sharply contrasted with the light, “summery” feel that was previously established. When Eddie Stowers (Goldberg) spoke, it was luscious; like warm caramel you could drizzle over rich chocolate ice cream. It’s a gift he utilised with great skill as Goldberg to charm, seduce, dominate and intimidate the other characters. Being built like “the proverbial” lent extra truth to his ominous moments. Combined with his extremely expressive eyes the diversity of the character allowed Eddie to physically probe his emotional range. His performance was enthralling. A particularly captivating moment was the lesson he delivered to a subservient McCann seated cross-legged at his feet. David Gregory was Finley nominated in 2007 for his portrayal of Dermott (or is it Seamus) McCann. Playing the sometimes childlike, underling apprentice of Goldberg, David's mastery of the accent presented him as a convincing Irishman. He delivered extraordinary contrast in his performance, in one moment being calculated and quietly menacing, and the next sweetly singing a ballad or dancing an Irish jig. With a subtle expression of discomfort he showed us the vulnerability and uncertainty lurking just beneath his character’s forceful exterior. Eddie and David expertly handled the complex dialogue of the two interrogation scenes. An interesting twist in the final cross examination seemed to have been inspired by “The Sound of Music” and added to the sense of chaos that had descended upon the scene. As they finally dragged Stanley out the door, I assessed my understanding of the last 2 hours. I had been craving meaning. I had searched their every facial expression and physical nuance, every verbal inflection, every pause and line for subtext, the lights, the haunting soundtrack……something……..anything to evaluate the plot to a satisfactory conclusion. This is a “choose your own adventure” of sorts. You watch. You decide and that is the beautiful frustration of Pinter. Based on quality and entertainment, I feel it is well worth the $22 ticket price (students $17), so I would encourage you to attend a performance at The Rechabites in Northbridge. It closes Sat Sep 27th. Disclaimer: Although I know the Director and some cast members well, I have no other involvement in this production.