Managing Carmen

‘Managing Carmen’ was written this year, by David Williamson and is guaranteed to become another classic. This World Premiere is a co-production between the Black Swan State Theatre Company and the Queensland Theatre Company; it is showing at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA, on the corner of Roe Street and William Street, Northbridge.

This hilarious, satirical 2-hour, glamorous farce has evening performances are at 7.30 pm until 2^nd December; there are also several matinees throughout the week.

Mechanical engineer, David Williamson, wrote his first play at the age of 25. By 28, he had written ‘Don’s Party’ and ‘The Removalists’, two of Australia’s best loved plays. Now, having written 44 plays – a play a year - he has collected numerous major awards and four honorary doctorates; however, possibly his most prestigious nomination was this year, as Senior Australian of the Year.

The set (designer Richard Roberts) is built on a revolving stage, with several locations around the ‘clock’. Each area has purely furniture and props, no flats so that all areas can be seen at all times. At the edges of the lowered proscenium arch are flats that are used as screens for projected AV (AV designer Declan McMonagle, assisted by Tim Roane). The floor was comprised of highly polished, large dark ‘marble’ tiles.

         In the office of the heartless and notorious AFL manager, Rohan Swift (John Batchelor), the music of LMFAO's (an internet vulgar abbreviation for LOL) ‘Sexy and I Know It’ is pounding out. Rohan is slinking and dancing around as though he is a sex bomb in a down-market nightclub, when in walks Jessica Giordano (Claire Lovering), a PR girl, who has been hired to help a footie player, Brent.

         Twenty-three years old Brent Lyall (Tim Dashwood) although a simple country lad is a real hunk, captain of a major AFL team, and a double Brownlow Medallist, and yet amazingly he does not have a girlfriend. As for most players, the omnipotent, crude manager, Swift, controls Brent’s livelihood. In addition to his huge AFL player’s income, Brent can triple it with product endorsements, but his income is limited by his honesty, shyness but most of all his wooden acting.

         Sadly, Brent is in line for a Worst Performance by a Sportsperson award, hence Jessica being called in to help improve his hammy and awkward TV image. She finds that for personal reasons Brent is not gay, but has a passion for privately cross-dressing, his favourite persona being as Carmen.

         Convinced that Brent’s problem is simply shyness, Swift hires an old ‘friend’ of his, Clara (Anna McGahan), a real scrubber that talks like ‘Effie’, to be seen with Brent as his new love, and to bring him out of his shell. Swift is sure that his plan is progressing perfectly until he meets sleazy sports journalist, Max Upfield (Greg McNeill – 2011 Equity’s WA’s Actor of the Year) in a bar. Max convinced that something is happening and that there is a big scoop for him just around the corner keeps hassling Swift.

Will Max get his scoop? Can Brent overcome his cross-dressing and keep his job?

The revolve is a good idea, one that I haven’t seen in a play, as opposed to a variety show, for many years. With some of the first Act’s scenes being quite short, and the stage often revolving to the next set by the longest route, I was getting a little annoyed by the interruptions to the play’s flow. However, occasionally the long route helped with the appearance of turmoil and panic in the farcical style. Having got that out of the way … the rest of the news is good.

Having a revolve that kept rotating with smoke machines, TV antennae input, numerous power sockets and even controls for multicoloured lights, one wonders how the cables beneath the stage looked at the end of each show. Pretty knotted! Clever teching.

I am a great David Williamson fan, his stories are totally tuned into various aspects of people’s lives and culture in a delectable manner; oozing with sin and yet still delivered in a moralistic way.

The premise of the play was simple, original and the storyline straightforward - until the final Williamson surprise twist at the end. The events and incidents built around the main story were laugh aloud funny.

The director is Wesley Enoch, a Murri brought up in Brisbane, and who achieved a Masters in his dance. In his 20 years in the industry, he has won many awards and last year was nominated for a Helpmann. His choreography skills shone through as the cast’s moves filled the stage. He captured the farce genre by squeezing every possible laugh from the unusual situations.

The short scenes, some only a few sentences, in the first Act slowed the pace and character development, but in Act 2, led by reporter Upfield’s exceptionally funny chat with Brent – two excellent performances - the versatile cast blossomed and all five were absolutely terrific.

Congratulations to the stage manager, Jodie Roche, and her assistant, Genevieve Jones, who magically managed to slickly remove sets and rearrange furniture on the revolve without being noticed.

The costume design for this show was all important, and Richard Roberts and his assistant Isobel Hutton very successfully created the large array of outfits ranging from a rough footie supporter to the top designer labels.

Lighting designer Trent Suidgeest was challenged by the revolve, but as always came up with a very successful creation. He had a vibrant club scene to light, through to an intimate upmarket flat. At several points in the play, the sound designer, Tony Brumpton, combined with the AV techs to give a most successful ‘live’ TV effect.

The play’s concept might not excite some audience members, but even they must admit that with such a wonderful cast and clever production team, everyone had a hilarious night out.

Throughout the play, and especially at the final curtain, it was amusing to hear the women in the audience sounding as though they were years younger - ‘whooping’ at a Tom Jones concert. This was the most rapturous applause the Heath Ledger has heard.