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Don Juan in Soho
Presented by: Melbourne Theatre Company
Venue: Fairfax Studio at The Arts Centre, Melbourne
Reviewer: Adam Rafferty - Theatre People Editor
Date Reviewed: 17th January, 2008
Based on Moliere’s 17th Century play, Dom Juan or The
Feast with the Statue - itself a retelling of a 1630 Spanish
play featuring the legendary libertine Don Juan (another famous
incarnation being Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni) - Patrick
Marber’s Don Juan in Soho once again rewrites the tale of the
roguish womaniser for a modern audience.
Englishman Marber had great success in the ‘90s with his plays
Dealer’s Choice and Closer (amongst others) developing
renown for writing darkly acidic, yet eminently human dialogue – a
reputation he built on via the equally successful screenplay
adaptations of Closer and Zoë Heller’s novel, Notes on a
Scandal for which he received an Oscar nomination.
While that delightfully acerbic wit is definitely apparent in Don
Juan in Soho, it doesn’t stop this re-envisioning of the classic
tale from feeling just a bit lost in translation – at least when it
wears its heritage on its sleeve.
DJ, (the name of our Don/Dom Juan in this case) is essentially a
Casanova, trapping countless women with his lascivious wiles and
living an entirely hedonistic lifestyle through the benefit of his
inherited social position. Once he has set his sight on a conquest,
he’ll stop at nothing to bed his quarry, even going so far as
marrying the virtuous Elvira in order to sleep with her on their
wedding night before explaining that his commitment to their
marriage was only a ruse played out to in order to have sex with
her.
His ‘manservant’ slash butler, the ever-faithful Stan, or as DJ
describes him, the “hilarious little Munchkin, keeper of the
Blackberry”, dutifully records his master’s exploits on his PDA – a
‘little black book’ for the 21st Century.
Dan Wyllie in the title role sits in his character uncomfortably,
eliciting an appropriate vocal manner and physicality, but rarely
blurring the line between actor and character. His DJ is believable
and acceptable in presentation, but pales in comparison with his
impressive performance in last year’s astounding MTC production,
The Pillowman. One could almost suppose that DJ isn’t a
character far removed in reality from Dan himself, yet nonetheless
the pseudo-classic dialogue and sexual pomposity of the role fit
Wyllie like a Marks & Spencer suit, rather than the bespoke Saville
Row tailoring Marber’s Don Juan demands.
Daniel Frederiksen’s Hoxton-styled Stan however is delightful to
watch. His characterisation of Stan’s accepting, yet indignant
behaviour towards his master’s antics is spot on, along with his
fateful warnings of Heaven’s wrath. Frederiksen’s puppy-dog style of
combined snivelling and exasperation beautifully displays Stan’s
understanding of and dedication to his boss – demonstrated well when
Stan ignores DJ’s directive to dispose of the Blackberry that keeps
record of the Lothario’s adventures. It must be an, as yet unheard
of, waterproof Blackberry as when the two boys end up in the Thames
after pursuing another beauty by speedboat, Marber’s version of the
contraption seems to miraculously be able to survive the event.
Following their dunking the boys are fished out of the river by a
chav (Bert Labonte, in a small but well-played role) whose
girlfriend (Christen O’Leary) is immediately and quite readily drawn
in by DJ’s charms. Never one to miss an opportunity to multi-task
when it comes to sweet-talking a woman, while in the hospital
waiting room DJ propositions the object of his nautical pursuit
(played by Kate Jenkinson) while visibly enjoying fellatio from his
latest conquest and leading to an uproarious climax – so to speak!
O’Leary is excellent as always and provides a further brilliant
comic character, along with Jenkinson, as a pair of morose Eastern
European prostitutes prepared to undertake any activities required
of them, as long as the price is right.
DJ’s disappointed father Louis, played by the immensely talented Bob
Hornery, does make some efforts to change the debauched ways of his
son, recognising his responsibility for the adult his son has
become. DJ is of course wily enough to satiate his father’s desire
to see remorse and a determination to live his life responsibly
before immediately returning to his old habits.
Katie-Jean Harding plays the pristine Elvira with a strong Irish
accent and believable virtue. Her displays of strength and anguish
at the betrayal of DJ hit the mark. While Craig Annis and Angus
Cerini as Elvira’s brothers Colm and Aloysius are less successful in
their portrayals, they do provide some tense scenes as they threaten
to kill DJ for ruining their sister’s life – an effort only hampered
by the fact that DJ has quite coincidentally saved Colm’s life while
helping to break up a mugging.
The
play hits a turning point when DJ and Stan find themselves in Soho
Square at night in front of the statue of Charles II. Don Juan’s
Commandant, has been replaced by the British monarch whose
infidelity (he had a dozen children by seven mistresses) cost the
country countless pounds in taxes maintaining illegitimate
descendants – a rather ironic and witty re-designation. Because DJ
and Stan are possibly drunk at the time, the animation of the statue
is acceptable in this modern context, but when Charles II returns
for dinner and sends DJ on his spiraling pedi-cab descent into
‘hell’, the story really jumps the shark.
Lovers of the classic versions of Don Juan may find this feast hard
to digest, but Marber’s sharp dialogue, Frederiksen’s nimble
portrayal of Stan and some gleeful comedy from O’Leary and Jenkinson
make this re-imagining of the enduring tale worth investigating once
more.
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