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.

I'll preface this by saying I know the director, the stage manager, and 4 members of the cast so I guess I may be a little biased in my appraisal. The Birthday Party has intrigued me for a while not least because I've been a Nick Cave fan for many years and his band The Birthday Party was an old fave. So hey, if Nick liked the play enough to nick the title for his own use....well if Nick liked it, it's probably very dark. And it is. Someone asked my girlfriend after the performance "Did you enjoy it?". We both replied that this isn't a play to be enjoyed - it's a work that needs to be absorbed. It's the theatrical equivalent of being blind folded in a dark room and having your pants pulled down whilst being assaulted with a cricket bat to the head simultaneously. However, unlike that particular description you realise 24 hours later that you're still thinking about it and that it was a rewarding experience. Julia has already outlined in her excellent review that the true meaning of the play is likely to be a source of speculation and debate. My take on it is that it has, at it's centre, themes that were also explored in works such as Orwell's 1984 and Burgess' A Clockwork Orange; i.e the repression of the individual's free will by a conformist society or totalitarian state. Phew, glad I got that out before I lost my train of thought! It is probably a product of it's time - cold war, reds under the beds, blossoming distrust of one's government, etc. Stanley to me represents the free spirit - the individual who dares to be different - flawed, wildly emotional, trucculent. Goldberg and McCann represent authority figures keen to suppress Stanley's instincts (and possibly succeed given Stanley is dressed, like Goldberg and McCann, in a black suit at the play's end). Lulu represents desire and is protaganist to Stanley's most violent and baser instincts as well as herself being manipulated, used, and rejected by Goldberg. Meg is madness and possibly the result of what happens to those who resist the need to conform. Petey is the epitome of conformity - the actualisation of what Stanley will ultimately become; obedient, subserviant, brow-beaten. Having said all that I had remarked to my girlfriend that it wouldn't surprise me that if pressed for an explanation of the narrative, Pinter himself may in fact say "Oh, it's just a load of old balls...liked the way the dialogue and characters inter-played, didn't have a clue about what I was actually writing!". It's all subjective. I won't outline what happens but will instead focus on the performances. Jacqui Warner shines as Meg. Every time I see her now I'll be tempted to say "Is it good?". In the hands of a lesser actor, the delivery of the text could have been inconsistent as could the mannerisms. Jacqui's performance bought to mind the image of an obedient dog who drops the ball at it's master's feet looking expectantly for the ball to be thrown so it can retrieve it...again and again and again, day in day out. If that sounds disrespectful, it's not - watch the play and you may agree. The key to successfully playing the character was in playing the repetition in Meg's life consistently whilst still making the character interesting. Well done Jacqui. I've never seen Phillip MacKenzie on stage before. What an excellent actor he is playing Petey in a quiet, concise manner portraying the dullness of his Groundhog Day existence in a very real and poignant way. Martin Lindsay surprises me. Martin normally plays comedic roles and can do those sleep walking. There is little comedy in the role of Stanley and the challenge would seem to be to portray the mood swings convincingly - agitation, fear, anger, cruelty, violence, amusement. Martin succeeds admirably and the restlessness (to sum up the agitation and building hysteria) of the character is something he portrays very convincingly. If I was to nit-pick I would like to see a little more light and shade as some of the dialogue was lost when voices were raised but this is a fault of the accoustics at the Rechabites as much as anything. At the end of Act 2 where he is prone over the form of Lulu illuminated only by the torch of McCann, he truely looked animalistic - Melissa and I are not sure about Martin anymore, that look was extremely unsettling. I can't think of too many more roles that would be more physically demanding in terms of emotion expended let alone being manhandled by Goldberg and McCann. An extremely exhausting role to both watch and perform and a notice to directors out there that there is more to Martin than the comedic performer he normally shows us. My fervant hope is that this role takes so much out of him he has to mail in a performance at the One Act Festival next Sunday. It may give the rest of us a chance (j/k). Nyree Hughes delivers a seductive Lulu stylishly. Out of all the characters in the play, Lulu is the one I feel is under written. Her importance as a protaganist is undoubted but we don't get to "know" her character as well as the others. I'm not sure if this was intentional by Pinter or whether it's merely symptomatic of this being one of his earlier works. Still, Nyree shows herself once again to be a very confident performer onstage and plays the part with the right touch of sexual energy, avoiding the temptation of going over the top. Well done Nyree. David Gregory is someone unknown to me prior to this performance. His McCann was the highlight for me (and there were bloody good performances all round so that's saying a bit). He captured the pauses and stillness required par excellence. His face for most of the performance was an inpenetrable mask - emotionless, intense, unsettling. The irish accent was captured impeccably, the menace of the character summed up in small movements - never over-acting. Melissa remarked to me afterward that he looked like a character who was never comfortable in his own skin and it suited McCann to a tee. And then to cheekily come on in Act 2 and dance a little irish jig just to throw us off scent for a brief moment - brilliant! I look forward to seeing David in productions going forward. Not easy to match Eddie Stowers on stage but you did so. Ah, the ubiquitous Eddie Stowers portraying what is surely the first Irish Samoan Jew ever! Julia's description of Eddie's voice is perfect. Eddie prowls the stage with the confidence and guile of a panther in the jungle. He is at total ease in the environment and in addition to "The Voice" he has a commanding physical presence. His Goldberg is all suave seduction, cajoling, suggesting, demanding, instructing, manipulating all the players. I find it difficult to think of another actor who could approach Eddie in this role - Bruce Denny possibly but the names aren't coming to mind thick and fast. Physical presence and a voice to match - Eddie hits another home run. BTW - did you adlib in the interrogation scene? Melissa swears she heard amongst the questions you throw at Stanley this gem "Have you seen Wicked in Melbourne?!!". You scamp. Peter Clark - big kahunas to mount this production using your own cash. I for one am grateful as I missed it when it ran last year. Impeccable casting, simple stage set-up, minimal music but that which you used was entirely appropriate, simple but effective lighting (kudos to Josh Veitch)- a wonderful job all round. Peter, you obviously have a great deal of affection for this play and your reverence for it shows in this production. I've never watched a Pinter before but I wouldn't hesitate to do so again and I thank you for bringing us something a little different. I wish to God you hadn't done it at The Rechabites, not because I don't like the venue, but simply because some of the dialogue was lost in the accoustic black hole that the venue is. I wish I had been able to see "Ghosts" at Marloo now and will eagerly await to see what you do next. Well done. Folks, in summary, an excellent production which is well worth catching even if you're not Pinter fans. There are some breath-taking performances and the caliber of the production more than justifies the ticket price. Do yourself a favour and get along and see it.

This was first experience of Pinter, and my first visit to Rechabites. I had no idea what to expect. I am not a student of the theatre, merely a participant. I don't really have much to add to the comments of Julia and Murray. I agree with much of what was said. I saw some fine performances, but walked out thinking "WTF was that all about?" I'm thinking that was the point. It's not theatrical bubblegum for the masses. It requires the audient to give of themselves, to think about what they have witnessed. Did I enjoy it? See jmuzz's answer above. www.meltheco.org.au

I took my seventeen year old daughter to this on Friday night and she is still discussing it today, Sunday. She has gone surfing the web to find out more about Pinter and this play in particular. I thank the director for bringing us this slice of theatrical magic. It is a great piece of theatre, well done to Peter Clark and his wonderfully talented cast. Sean Byrne

Pinter is an excellent writer. You should read the homecoming. There is not a lot of mystery, but there is a lot of drama and mickedness. Its a cliff hanger.

* wickedness (lol)

Thanks for that, I will read "The Homecoming". I've read and seen "The Caretaker" performed. I really like Pinter, he makes you think about what you are seeing. Sean Byrne

I was absolutely gob smacked at the quality of the performance of the actors in The Birthday Party,they were all fantastic.Coming from Ireland I hung on every word that came out of David's mouth trying to work out whether he was Irish and if so what town he came from, in the play several places in Ireland that I am familiar with were mentioned,it brought a tear to my eye. The story is great, leaving you with many thoughts. An excellant nights entertainment.

I am very proud of you guys for relaunching this terrific show. I am also glad people are appreciating it more the second time around. Now, I got a plane to catch, so see you :)

Terrific show. It's good to see one of Pinter's productions on the boards again. This was one of Pinter's most famous plays and the first of his to bring him to attention with critics. Performances and style of play was superb. The threadbare set enhanced the performances more so attention wouldn't drift to the decor. Performances were great particular notable was David Gregory whose performance of McCann was chillingly smooth and robotic. Nice touch. Also liked Martin Lindsay's performance and Jacqui Warner's as Meg. Overall all performances were fine and lighting and sound were good too. This play is on until the end of this week I think, so those interested in works by this Nobel Prize winning playwright should see this.

Seems like he has been threatening (promising) to leave for ages!

Just so I can put your curiosity at ease, Standaman, I'll let you in on a secret...Dave's not from Ireland, he's just bloody good at the accent. That's a great compliment coming from a native Irishman. I'm glad you had such a positive emotional response to his performance and the play itself. Thanks for your comments :)

This is what theatre should be. Wow....I can't stop saying it. Bloody brilliant. I had a friend buy me a ticket because I'm not from Perth, but am making a flying visit from Sydney. WOW...you see...I can't stop it. I just want to say thank you for bringing theatre to life again. I've seen a lot of shows in what is supposed to be the arts hub of Australia, but forget it...if this is what Perth does, it craps all over Sydney. I don't know the Director, the crew or the cast, but I did cheekily say hello to McCann tonight....and he's not Irish. His "G'day...glad you enjoyed it" nearly knocked me over. Petey and Meg were stone cold amazing, as was their interaction with Stanley. Beautifully done. I don't know who Eddie Stowers is, but bloody fantastic. If I had one criticism, Goldberg is not supposed to cry....ever. Otherwise a beautiful representation of this difficult part. You were fantastic. The performances were really quite breathtaking, and if you enjoy quality theatre then this is the one to see. Watch McCann (David Gregory), a simply amazing performance, he is quite an extraordinary performer onstage....such presence. He had me almost in tears during his ballad. The unfortunate thing is that I fly back to Sydney Saturday morning. I'd love to see this again. Really amazing. To you all, well done. I wish I had more time to give a solid review like the ones before me, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it, and wish you all the best for the rest of the season. Fantastic show. Thankyou and God Bless

In 15 years of enjoying amateur theatre, this is the most outstanding show I have seen.....nothing about it was amateur! I have no involvement with the show and no prior knowledge of Pinter or 'The Birthday Party.' I, like many others walked away wondering who Goldberg and McCann represented. I considered The Mob, the IRA and the inner workings of Stanley's mind. A chance reference to society as 'organisation' on TV yesterday inspired what has become my reality of Pinter's brilliant play. Stanley is accused of 'betraying the organisation', and the term is used a couple of other times by Goldberg and McCann throughout. If you view The Organisation as Society, they are saying that Stanley has betrayed society by denying it of his talent. Stanley, who dreamed of being a concert pianist but ran into exile at the first disappointment, is the coward in us that takes the easy way out. He is so afraid of failure that he chooses a life of non-existence over experience. Lindsay portrays brilliantly Stanley's descent into madness as he fights to stay in control of his small existence rather than going back to a life of risk. The performance was so convincing that near the end I thought an ambulance might be needed. Meg is the enabler; the 'mother' voice that tells us we are safe here where we can't be hurt by failure. Warner had the audience cringing as she demonstrated beautifully how easily we are all controlled with 'niceness' Goldberg and McCann represent the fact that no matter how much you run away from your dreams, they will haunt you and eventually catch up with you in some form. In Stanley's case madness. Goldberg is the voice we hear that uses fear tactics to drive us to meet our potential. It tricks us by being calm and soothing, as Stowers resonating voice was, but then punches us right between the eyes when we don't meet it's expectations. McCann represents the more rational voice that politely tried to cajole Stanley into submitting. For me, McCann most closely captured the voice I try to listen to in my own mind that allows me to 'go for it' when I am afraid. The unorthodox manner with which he treated the newspaper says 'you can be part of society but you don't have to follow all it's rules.' He showed he was prepared to vehemently defend this belief in the way he reacted to Stanley's attempted interference with the paper. The unfortunate Lulu is the opposite of Stanley. She is what happens when we jump into something that looks like a good idea without any measure or thought. Even though Hughes played Lulu with the utmost of seductiveness, allowing the audience to believe she was without innocence, she admitted after Goldberg's 'rape' that it was bravado. She shows us that you can go after your dreams but it would be wise to proceed with caution. Petey is the part of us that knows we are giving in to the mundane; conforming to what others expect of us. MacKenzie's facial expressions demonstrated perfectly the thought process 'I can't bear this, but what can I do about it?' As Stanley is dragged away Petey desperately wants to go with him, not to save him as we might think, but to join him. In the end though, he takes the easy way out. I think the drum represented how opportunities come up in life that could be amazing but we are so busy trying to stay 'safe' that we don't even see them. I cannot pick an individual stand out performance from this play. Each actor executed their role beautifully and very believably. The direction by Clark was outstanding and I wondered if the 'dressing' at the start was designed to represent how we all decide who we will be; what face we will wear for each of life's 'performances'. The set, sound and lighting were also excellent. Congratulations to you all and thank you for the best show of my life. Could it be that 'The Birthday Party' represents Pinter's own fears as a writer and how he struggled to follow his dream rather than conform to a more 'normal' profession?

I am absolutely bummed that I have to miss out on seeing this show as I am in a show running at the same time. I hear that you have all done an amazing job with this show and I wish you all the best with the remainder of the run! Chookas! Manuao:)