Portraits Of Modern Evil

I saw this show, featuring Black Swan's 'Hotbed Ensemble' at PICA last evening. Despite suffering from an unseasonal dose of 'flu, I was thoroughly entertained. The storyline concerns a fictitious crossing of paths between true life contemporaries, artist Albert Tucker and USMC serial killer Eddie Leonski in 1942 Melbourne. The character of Tucker is fleshed out to a greater degree, presumably because he lived a long and prolific life and is an Aussie icon. Leonski, the 'brown-out strangler', was evidently executed for his crimes by the US military. To provide the catalyst for conflict between the two, we have Tucker's artist wife, Joy Hester. Various other characters, both real and fictional, come and go as the narrative unfolds. All very well-drawn and convincing. The design for this production was excellent. Apart from brilliant light and sound, there was very effective use of projected images, many of them taken from Tucker's own works. The set is also most impressive, being of the multi-purpose style - one minute a converted cowshed studio, the next an inner city alleyway. The only thing I can think of to complain about with this show is that the brief introduction of the Sidney Nolan character seemed a little superfluous. Maybe I missed something. Well done, all.