In the Garden
Fri, 15 July 2011, 11:22 amGordon the Optom1 post in thread
In the Garden
Fri, 15 July 2011, 11:22 am‘In the Garden’ was written by emerging WA playwright and award-winning actor, Anna Houston – this World Premiere is presented by Hook in Eye Theatre Productions and the Deckchair Theatre 2011 Umbrella programme. Showing at the Victoria Hall, 179 High Street, Fremantle until 30th July. Performances start most evenings at 8.00 pm but with an earlier curtain-up of 6.30 pm on a Tuesday. There are matinees on Thursday 28th at 11.00 am and on Saturday 30th at 2.00 pm.
It is night-time in a rural West Australian town. In their four-poster bed, Pete (Andy Blaikie) climbs onto his gentle, wife Violet for sex, not to make love, just plain sex. This older husband is so consumed with his own welfare and importance that the only one he truly loves is himself. His wife, Violet (Jo Morris) is lonely, tired of being dominated and bullied, but where can she find relief? As her husband settles back down to sleep, Vi sits bolt upright in bed, rushes to the window and sees her only true friend, Eva (Shirley van Sanden), with a suitcase in her hand rushing across the moonlit, aromatic garden – where is she going? Violet cries out, but it is too late Eva has gone. Unfortunately for Violet, her cry has woken Pete.
Another night, Violet sees in her dreams a pair of beautiful hands – no body, just a pair of hands – stroking her hair.
Next day Violet is working in the bookshop that Pete and herself own, when an old school friend comes in. It is Jack (Nick Candy), they recall their happy schooldays and the school play in which they acted. As Jack is about to leave Violet notices his hands, they are the hands of her dreams.
When Violet’s widower father (Robert Hensley) announces that he wants to sell the family home and all the ‘clutter’ that is contained within, Violet is shocked, as this is the only stable thing in her life. She begs her sister Hannah (George Gayler) to try and talk her father into changing his mind, but no one listens, especially to Violet.
What was it that Violet saw in their garden that night? Will she ever find true love and happiness?
Director, Michelle Sowden and assistant director, Kira Karavaytseva have chosen a cream of a team, with many of the cast and crew highly awarded in their fields. Set designer Monique Wajon, 2010 Best Production design in the WA Screen Awards, has created a glorious garden, one which creeps into all of the sets making it look like Titania’s bower. This trail of flowers and ivy shows the link that the garden has over the main storyline.
The direction called for something special, full of atmosphere yet not too sweetie sweet. Michelle and Kira have succeeded skilfully, with self-assured proficiency this ground breaking drama unfolds. The script feeds out short threads of this daring story at a rate that makes you sit up and want more for the whole two hours. No punches are pulled as you see parallels between Violet’s life and her mother’s unfurl.
A great deal of praise must go to Jo Morris who showed true courage in her very demanding part, one that called for, and gained, the audience’s sympathy. Shirley van Sanden was wonderful as the confused and tragic Eva. There was very strong characterisation ranging from empathy with Violet, to the downright repulsion of Pete.
Lighting designer and technical manager, Joe Lui, whom I consider top of his field, was at his very best. Given a huge area to light and a frighteningly high lighting rig, he wasn’t fazed; the changes in mood were captured superbly. The sound design was by local composer and sound artist, Adam Trainer, again he encapsulated the feeling of the situation with his subtle and clever compositions.
This is a creepy, disturbing play for adults. It pushes the limits, and is one which is fresh in ideas and moulded with superb writing skill into a tale that is sadly all too common in life, yet often swept under the carpet. Magnificent writing and acting, a special production.
‘In the Garden’ was written by emerging WA playwright and award-winning actor, Anna Houston – this World Premiere is presented by Hook in Eye Theatre Productions and the Deckchair Theatre 2011 Umbrella programme. Showing at the Victoria Hall, 179 High Street, Fremantle until 30th July. Performances start most evenings at 8.00 pm but with an earlier curtain-up of 6.30 pm on a Tuesday. There are matinees on Thursday 28th at 11.00 am and on Saturday 30th at 2.00 pm.
It is night-time in a rural West Australian town. In their four-poster bed, Pete (Andy Blaikie) climbs onto his gentle, wife Violet for sex, not to make love, just plain sex. This older husband is so consumed with his own welfare and importance that the only one he truly loves is himself. His wife, Violet (Jo Morris) is lonely, tired of being dominated and bullied, but where can she find relief? As her husband settles back down to sleep, Vi sits bolt upright in bed, rushes to the window and sees her only true friend, Eva (Shirley van Sanden), with a suitcase in her hand rushing across the moonlit, aromatic garden – where is she going? Violet cries out, but it is too late Eva has gone. Unfortunately for Violet, her cry has woken Pete.
Another night, Violet sees in her dreams a pair of beautiful hands – no body, just a pair of hands – stroking her hair.
Next day Violet is working in the bookshop that Pete and herself own, when an old school friend comes in. It is Jack (Nick Candy), they recall their happy schooldays and the school play in which they acted. As Jack is about to leave Violet notices his hands, they are the hands of her dreams.
When Violet’s widower father (Robert Hensley) announces that he wants to sell the family home and all the ‘clutter’ that is contained within, Violet is shocked, as this is the only stable thing in her life. She begs her sister Hannah (George Gayler) to try and talk her father into changing his mind, but no one listens, especially to Violet.
What was it that Violet saw in their garden that night? Will she ever find true love and happiness?
Director, Michelle Sowden and assistant director, Kira Karavaytseva have chosen a cream of a team, with many of the cast and crew highly awarded in their fields. Set designer Monique Wajon, 2010 Best Production design in the WA Screen Awards, has created a glorious garden, one which creeps into all of the sets making it look like Titania’s bower. This trail of flowers and ivy shows the link that the garden has over the main storyline.
The direction called for something special, full of atmosphere yet not too sweetie sweet. Michelle and Kira have succeeded skilfully, with self-assured proficiency this ground breaking drama unfolds. The script feeds out short threads of this daring story at a rate that makes you sit up and want more for the whole two hours. No punches are pulled as you see parallels between Violet’s life and her mother’s unfurl.
A great deal of praise must go to Jo Morris who showed true courage in her very demanding part, one that called for, and gained, the audience’s sympathy. Shirley van Sanden was wonderful as the confused and tragic Eva. There was very strong characterisation ranging from empathy with Violet, to the downright repulsion of Pete.
Lighting designer and technical manager, Joe Lui, whom I consider top of his field, was at his very best. Given a huge area to light and a frighteningly high lighting rig, he wasn’t fazed; the changes in mood were captured superbly. The sound design was by local composer and sound artist, Adam Trainer, again he encapsulated the feeling of the situation with his subtle and clever compositions.
This is a creepy, disturbing play for adults. It pushes the limits, and is one which is fresh in ideas and moulded with superb writing skill into a tale that is sadly all too common in life, yet often swept under the carpet. Magnificent writing and acting, a special production.