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Duets For Lovers And Dreamers
Submitted by Nathan Slevin on Thursday, 25th Nov 2010
An Australian premiere and winner of the RE Ross Trust’s Playwrights’ Script Development Award, Long likens the piece to ‘a song cycle, translated into theatre’ which director Naomi Steinborner says sets out to ‘capture intimate moments of simple, everyday happenings.’
‘The Storm’ featuring Philip McInnes and Matt Cornell explores a man’s obsession with a woman he sees at a bar one night. McInnnes narrates the story as Cornell acts as both the woman and man in fantasy and in reality. A parallel story is played out with McInness portraying a definitive feminine character on an island in a fleeting dreamlike sequence. The stark contrast between this female and the ‘ocker’ man from the bar are obvious as the transitions are immediate and a testament to McInnes skill and versatility as a performer. This duet is filled with themes of sensuality and sexuality and clear representations of masculinity and femininity which permeate the piece. Although both Cornell’s and McInnes performances are excellent the connection between the two layers of this story were never quite brought together causing a little confusion as to its relevance.
The fifth duet ‘The Last Post’ presents the harsh reality of war and the devastating effects it has on individuals and their families. An elderly woman (Helen Morse) sits down to what appears to be a regular cup of tea with her husband (portrayed as a young man by Matt Cornell). A former soldier it becomes clear he returned from war a changed man both deaf and affected by shellshock although this has never been spoken of and seems to be denied as so many men and families denied the existence of shellshock in their loved ones. Morse makes reference to the ‘deterioration of their house’ liking this to the deterioration of her husband’s mind. The fact that Cornell’s character never speaks makes it clear he exists only in body in their home and Morse’s character clings to the memories of their time together before the war when she felt a true emotional connection to her husband. This was the most profound duet and one in which the audience were able to empathise with the characters and Morse’s performance was captivating.
Date of Show:
Friday, 19th November 2010 (All day)
Venue:
Fortyfivedownstairs Six 'duets' each dealing with aspects of life, death and the human condition Duets for Lovers and Dreamers explores humanity in all its forms.
Written by Sandra Fiona Long this performance is the culmination of two years of development and is an innovative and moving fusion of dance, vocals and the spoken word.
An Australian premiere and winner of the RE Ross Trust’s Playwrights’ Script Development Award, Long likens the piece to ‘a song cycle, translated into theatre’ which director Naomi Steinborner says sets out to ‘capture intimate moments of simple, everyday happenings.’ With a full house seated and ready the performance began with two wooden doors sliding open to reveal the first duet ‘Nana In Knapsack.’ Without giving too much away this story follows a young woman (Katherine Tonkin) on a journey seeking closure in her life as her grandmother (Helen Morse) watches on. The characters never interact with one another yet the audience is able to completely understand their connection and this is certainly one of the strengths of the performance. The selective use of dialogue interspersed with music and sounds created by the vocals of the cast make for a fascinating experience throughout.
‘The Storm’ featuring Philip McInnes and Matt Cornell explores a man’s obsession with a woman he sees at a bar one night. McInnnes narrates the story as Cornell acts as both the woman and man in fantasy and in reality. A parallel story is played out with McInness portraying a definitive feminine character on an island in a fleeting dreamlike sequence. The stark contrast between this female and the ‘ocker’ man from the bar are obvious as the transitions are immediate and a testament to McInnes skill and versatility as a performer. This duet is filled with themes of sensuality and sexuality and clear representations of masculinity and femininity which permeate the piece. Although both Cornell’s and McInnes performances are excellent the connection between the two layers of this story were never quite brought together causing a little confusion as to its relevance.A mother reminisces about her younger self in ‘Mother and Herself’. As her younger self (Katherine Tonkin) goes about her domestic duties Helen Morse wonders how she got through this stage of her life. This piece by using elements of mime and repetition of movement raises questions of purpose and the futility of one’s existence. It was a poignant story that stays with its audience as a reminder of the importance of reflection and evaluation in life.
A waiter (Matt Cornell) observes two ‘little fishes’ (Philip McInnes and Katherine Tonkin) in a karaoke bar as they express their feelings and doubts about their newfound relationship in ‘Little Fishes’. A comical piece presenting a creative and all too true parallel between the relationships of people and fishes as the two lovers speak almost using poetry creating the comedy.
The fifth duet ‘The Last Post’ presents the harsh reality of war and the devastating effects it has on individuals and their families. An elderly woman (Helen Morse) sits down to what appears to be a regular cup of tea with her husband (portrayed as a young man by Matt Cornell). A former soldier it becomes clear he returned from war a changed man both deaf and affected by shellshock although this has never been spoken of and seems to be denied as so many men and families denied the existence of shellshock in their loved ones. Morse makes reference to the ‘deterioration of their house’ liking this to the deterioration of her husband’s mind. The fact that Cornell’s character never speaks makes it clear he exists only in body in their home and Morse’s character clings to the memories of their time together before the war when she felt a true emotional connection to her husband. This was the most profound duet and one in which the audience were able to empathise with the characters and Morse’s performance was captivating.The final duet ‘Girl Up A Tree With Clouds’ performed by Katherine Tonkin combines sounds and music created by the voices of Helen Morse, Matt Cornell and Philip McInnes with Tonkin’s dialogue to the audience as a girl ruminates about her position in the world. The girl observes and comments from her 
platform up a tree on the suburban stories that surround her yet we also get the sense she is escaping from something. A clear exposition on the relationship between humans and nature is presented in this piece for example the repetition of the different types of clouds ‘incubus, cumulus etc’ by the chorus of performers. This duet also serves to link its previous duets together and almost summarise the performance.
platform up a tree on the suburban stories that surround her yet we also get the sense she is escaping from something. A clear exposition on the relationship between humans and nature is presented in this piece for example the repetition of the different types of clouds ‘incubus, cumulus etc’ by the chorus of performers. This duet also serves to link its previous duets together and almost summarise the performance.The lighting by Richard Vabre is very effective throughout the production and highlights both the performances and stage design well.
The set is simple as much of what is presented is aided by computer imagery and projection by Nicholas Verso and D.B. Valentine which is outstanding throughout particularly with the paper backdrop as circles are gradually cut out to reveal a spiral by the conclusion. This like much of the imagery is done with such subtlety that it surprises and delights the audience when it is result is revealed.
Music by James Hullick is at one time haunting and poetic and the next unique and beautiful and adds another essential layer to the performance.
Although at times the text did not always translate well and some of the duets left me feeling puzzled and uneasy as in the case of ‘The Storm’ and ‘Girl up a Tree with Clouds’ overall the production flowed wonderfully and moved me thanks in no small part to the performances of its cast in particular Helen Morse and Katherine Tonkin who invested boundless energy and emotion into each character they presented.
Duets for Lovers and Dreamers is definitely worth seeing as you may just find yourself wiping away a tear or two and maybe even speechless. Thank goodness for shows such as this.
State:
VIC