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No Love Lost
Presented by:
The
1812 Theatre
Venue:
1812 Theatre
Reviewer: Jennie Kellaway
Date Reviewed:
28th March 2008
The latest
offering from The 1812 Theatre in Upper Ferntree Gully is the
‘engaging romantic comedy’ No Love Lost by Rony Robinson. The
company run a very long, six-week season (from March 13th to April
19th) and I saw the production mid-season last Friday 28th March.
This company must be doing something right. The house was full,
admittedly with a fair share of senior theatre-goers but also a mix
of younger patrons. To run such a long season to cater for all of
their subscribers indicates that they are providing a good night at
the theatre and fulfilling their commitment to four seasons a year.
On arrival, a free program is handed to patrons as they mingle in
the foyer. An air of expectation is evident amongst the crowd, which
may be attributed to the free sherry and juice. People seem to know
each other and gather in small groups.
As we entered
the theatre, the cast were on stage already giving a glimpse of the
characters we were to meet and at precisely 8.30pm the show began.
Written for the BT Biennial in 1998, the UK’s largest amateur
dramatics festival, the play tells the story of a family and the
romantic up and downs of three generations. Kate leaves her husband,
Max, for a theatre studies course. Then Kate’s father moves in with
Max and Kate’s mother moves in with Kate. Max and Kate’s two
daughters, Emma and Anna, spend time trying to deal with both
parents. Max’s therapist tries to assist Max to understand the
situation, as does Max’s friend Jeff. Add to the mix a boyfriend for
Anna and as the synopsis tells us ‘it’s romance all round’. Set
somewhere in
England,
presumably in a college town, the time is 1998. The first act is
told from the point of view of the father, Max. In a clever device,
the action of the act, unfolds backwards in time with Max often
walking out of the action to explain issues to the audience.
In the second
act, the mother, Kate, continues the story, again giving details to
the audience. By the second act, the frozen action and chats to the
audience became a little predictable and were all staged in a half
light which often meant that the actor’s facial expressions were
lost. I would have preferred to see a lighting change, perhaps with
the use of a spot to highlight the actor’s presence. The set was a
sitting room in Max’s house for Act 1 and Kate’s flat in Act 2.
Perhaps a little underdressed, the change during the 15-minute
intervals was cleverly achieved with paintings and furniture. There
were numerous sound and lighting cues which were executed smartly by
stage management and technicians.
Some of the
costumes seemed out of season, but generally were about right for
1998. One concern was the use of a track of someone playing the
guitar which was meant to be younger daughter Emma playing. Even if
she had played very basic chords, it would have been more
believable, the person who was recorded was given credit in the
program. As an actor, taking on the challenge of playing live would
not have been insurmountable. Direction by Wendy Gare, an 1812
member for 23 years, demonstrated an understanding of the need for
pace and action. There did not seem to be an even balance with some
of the performers. Her casting of some of the actors and their
accents was questionable. My main concern with the show was the lack
of an ensemble feel. I did not believe that these people were a
family and close friends. Whilst there were some fine comedic
performances from some members of the company, some of the actors
were very one dimensional and lacked an understanding of the way to
‘set up’ a punch-line.
Of the actors,
I felt Barry Lockett’s interpretation of Max the slightly neurotic
historian, was exactly right. He had the right physicality, costume
and accent. He drove the first act and interacted with audience as
is he was telling a confidence. In contrast, Carolyn Ebdon as his
wife, Kate, did not seem at ease with the character. Her costumes
did not suggest a middle aged woman who was off to start a new life;
she looked a little matronly and had difficulty creating business
with props. As Anna, the elder daughter,
Maryanne
Park, was funny and very much an up-beat young woman. I felt that
she could have been a little crazier and outrageous physically, but
she handled the role intelligently.
Kathryn
Godsell, the younger daughter, Emma, had the ability to steal the
show as her character explains in scene one that she will not be
speaking as a result of her parents split. Perhaps it was direction,
but she really could have had a great deal of fun using the guitar
to express her emotions and using her silence and facial expressions
to make a point.The role of the grandmother, Jenny, was played,
dripping with sarcasm, by Patricia McCracken. This is one of the
best characters I have seen Patricia perform. She looked great and
she did steal her scenes particularly with her references to not
having a ‘proper marriage for nine years’ and her new-found penchant
for bananas.
Chris Procter
as Daniel the grandfather seemed out of place in both accent and
understanding of his role. Again he had the ability to set up and
make a number of funny moments but failed to deliver. Leanne Smith,
who played
Noon
the therapist struggled with her accent and did not seem to
understand who she was in relation to the family. Again not assisted
by some almost, but not quite, quirky costumes, Leanne appeared to
be ‘acting at acting’.
Ian Johnson,
who was Jeff, Max’s friend, was challenged by accent and I question
why Max who speaks eloquently and at length about history would
befriend a person who would be more a home on ‘The Eastenders’. Jeff
is a car salesman, but needed to sound a little more educated and
animated especially about cars. Michael Barrack, Anna’s new
boyfriend, was suitably intense and appeared to understand his
character.
Having made
all of my valid comments about making the most of any role and
engendering a feeling of working together, I did enjoy No Love Lost.
There were not a million laughs but some amusing moments. The
audience was entertained and enjoyed tucking into a very delicious
supper of cakes, coffee and port after the show. It is certainly
worth the trek to Upper Ferntree Gully for the 1812 experience.
Jennie
completed a very busy year last year, performing in Return to the
Forbidden Planet at Fab Nobs, The Producers at Whitehorse
and Fab Nobs’ First Five Years Concert. A teacher, with post
graduate qualifications in Arts Education, Jennie has been
performing for many years in all forms of theatre and she has worked
with many companies including CLOC and The Lilydale Athenaeum.
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