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Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot
Presented by: Melbourne Theatre Company
Venue: The Playhouse at The Arts Centre
Reviewer: Adam Rafferty - Theatre People Editor
Date Reviewed: 11th June 2008
L-R:
Andrew McFarlane, Marnie McQueen, Caroline O’Connor, Simon Wood, Bob
Hornery
Photo: Jeff Busby
In 2005, arguably Australia’s playwright laureate, David Williamson
laid down his pen from writing major new works and retired to
recover from an irregular heartbeat brought on by stress.
Thirty-five years of writing for the theatre had accounted for 31
stage plays including iconic pieces such as The Club, Don’s Party
and Travelling North and it seemed as though our theatres
would never again experience the scent of a freshly baked story from
the Williamson oven. However, with the help of medication Williamson
has overcome his ill health and been coaxed back to the Melbourne
Theatre Company to write a new play for Australia’s queen of the
‘triple threat’, Caroline O’Connor.
Known for her all-singing, all-dancing performances, playing the
titular Scarlett doesn’t offer O’Connor much in the way of
opportunities to show off those skills but it certainly gives her an
opportunity to stretch her comedic talents. Scarlett is a
thirty-something daydreamer who spends her days and evenings working
as a waitress in the Crimson Parrot – a restaurant staffed by a
group of colourful characters and encumbered with a pretentious
menu. When she gets home, she whiles away the wee hours watching the
Turner Classic Movie channel or one of the many black & white DVDs
that adorn her living room wall, while trying to ignore the
interruptions of an attention-seeking mother who only wants to get
her married off and producing grandchildren.
Scarlett has grown up fantasising herself into the role of not only
her namesake but all the other heroines of such classics as
Casablanca,
Calamity Jane, The
Philadelphia
Story
and From Here to Eternity, leaving her determined to have a
romantic ending of her own (and maybe a few dramatic moments along
the way.) Driven by her fantasies Scarlett daydreams that the loves
of her real life are likewise sweeping her off her feet, meeting her
glance across a crowded room or asking ‘Sam’ to play ‘Time Goes By’
again. Fortunately for Scarlett, her life does in fact resemble a
modern day ‘rom-com’ movie of sorts as she falls head over heels -
quite literally - for her freshly separated boss and head chef,
Steve (Andrew McFarlane) while a clearly anxious, but sweet customer
(Matt Day) seems to similarly have romantic feelings for her.
 O’Connor
pushes the wackiness of Scarlett to varying levels of success,
sometimes coming across quite endearingly, at other times slightly
irritatingly but there’s no doubt that she can deliver comedy well.
Her timing and characterisation bring much mirth to role and add an
empathy that might not have been there with just any other actress.
Matt Day’s manic Alan is a rather ambiguous character in the first
act, but becomes more clear as the story progresses – likewise Day’s
performance lifts as his character builds in confidence and isn’t as
encumbered by a crippling phobia. Meanwhile Andrew McFarlane makes
the most of a rather underdeveloped character and for the most part
convinces as a desperate man in both love and business.
This play is bejewelled by two veterans of the stage, Monica Maughan
as Scarlett’s mother Maureen and Bob Hornery as the Crimson Parrot’s
dishwasher and fellow classic movie-lover, Gordon. Both embody their
characters delightfully and provide the performance highlights of
the show. Marney McQueen plays waitress Shelley in the style of
Sophie Lee’s character in Muriel’s Wedding - a shallow
‘footy-blonde’ who’s main objective in life is to become someone’s
trophy wife. McQueen brings moments of glee to the role and provides
a good balance with the rest of the ensemble but never quite ignites
in her highlighted scenes. Equally, Simon Wood in the stereotypical
‘wog boy’ role of sous-chef Gary, provides good support and pleasant
comedic equilibrium to the cast of characters but ultimately becomes
an ‘also-ran’ part.
Photo: Jeff Busby
Stereotypes are the main issue with this play as clichés burden the
plot like an overly salted stew. Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson
Parrot has all the makings of a television sit-com, but reflects
all the reasons why this country has had depressingly little success
with those for the past decade or more. The plot is predictable and
unenlightening while the jokes are hackneyed and overworked – at
times going so far as to be offensive, such as when Scarlett’s
mother has a pizza in its box smacked on top of her head.
The setting of this story, for the most part, in a working kitchen
offers a lot of promise and seeing the cast seeming to actually
prepare meals is exciting – until it becomes obvious that all the
crockery and ‘glasses’ are made of plastic, while the food must be
cold. The aromas and heat of a working kitchen offered the potential
to add an extra sensory enjoyment to this production that was lost –
even burning steaks in one scene became a purely visual experience –
we might as well have been watching one of Scarlett’s big screen
movies.
L-R
– Matt Day, Caroline O’Connor, Monica Maughan Photo: Jeff Busby
Nonetheless, Shaun Gurton’s huge kitchen set that slides from side
to side revealing alternately the restaurant dining room and
Scarlett’s living room is an impressive piece of work, leaving
sufficient room for the big screen of Scarlett’s mind to be
projected onto a cyclorama behind. The pre-filmed pieces edited to
match and fit classic movies that are projected here are the element
that works best about this show and it’s an ingenious concept. It is
endlessly entertaining to see how Scarlett has imposed her
‘real-life’ situation onto a classic movie setting and the cast’s
performances in these pastiches work extremely well.
 While
the film elements are highly successful, it’s unclear if director
Simon Phillips knew entirely how to work with this piece,
considering the collaborative nature of its conception. Perhaps it
was felt best to let the great man Williamson write a formulistic
script, albeit based on an intriguing concept, and hope that his
trademark insertions of local references would be enough to carry
the audience’s attention for two and bit hours. In any case, the
staging is precise, workman-like, if perhaps a little heavy handed
and makes do with the tools at its disposal.
While it’s not the best thing the MTC have produced this year, if
you like your theatre on the safe side then Scarlett O’Hara
is worth a view to enjoy the concept of woman who projects her life
into classic movie moments. Moreover, if you always found Hey
Dad! to be a side-splitter then this show is going to serve you
up an aroma-free feast!
L-R: Caroline O’Connor, Andrew McFarlane (foreground),
Simon Wood, Marnie McQueen (background)
Photo: Jeff Busby |