Belleville

Deception and dependency so often feed off each other, fed by need rather than love, and ultimately undone by the breaking of trust. These are the emotions Amy Herzog explores with great style and empathy in her harrowing new play, which is, itself, deceptive in its unfolding. Small wonder that she is taking the world by storm, and even less surprising that Red Stitch have chosen to present the Australian Premiere.

Though the play is a four hander, it centres on the relationship of Abby and Zack (beautifully played by Christina O’Neill and Paul Ashcroft.) An American couple still in their twenties, they are living the dream; a trendy apartment in Paris, Zack’s medical research job, Abby’s yoga classes; what more could they want? But it isn’t long before we realise they are lying to each other and themselves. All is not well, and what might have been a small crack in the windscreen of their relationship, rapidly disintegrates into shattered glass. Abby is neurotic, Paul is needy; yes, we get that. We slowly piece together the deceit, but we’re not prepared for the turn around at the tragic climax and we leave the theatre wondering how we didn’t see it coming.

Christina O’Neill is simply superb as the insecure Abby who desperately wants to go home, weak and dependent on her husband, and craving validation at every turn. This is an actress who always digs deep and finds things in her character that might not be apparent on the page, and yet manages to maintain a delicate subtlety in the subtext. By the time we realise that she is the stronger and that Zack is actually at risk, we’ve bought into her story completely. Paul Ashcroft is so versatile in so many areas, that it’s something of a surprise to see him play with such intensity. His Zack is so complex, so multi-faceted, that one is pushed to constantly re-evaluate the character, excellent acting on all levels from both of them.

The other two characters are Amina and Alioune, an essentially middle-class Sengalese couple who are landlords to the Americans and prove to have adopted some of the more self-serving attitudes of Western society. Tariro Mavonda (Amina) is impressive as the Sengalese wife who clearly makes the bullets for her husband’s gun to fire. Her lack of empathy for Abby and Zack is all the more chilling for the underplaying. She is an actress to follow with interest. Renaud Momtbrun brings an authentic French presence to the mix, and has a certain charisma, but working on his diction will only help his stage career. There were many lines that were swallowed or garbled and were difficult to understand.

Denny Lawrence brings all his years of experience to directing the play with amazing intensity….there’s barely a moment when you are not rivetted, even in the lighter and more comic early scenes. As an actor himself he has drawn from his leads the essential raw emotions that lie hidden behind the masks. It is brave direction of an even braver two principals.

Jacob Battista’s set is quite remarkable for such a tiny space. One wonders about roughly 25% of the working area being taken up by an unseen bathroom, but all doubts are dispelled by the stunning penultimate scene.

Red Stitch is such a small company in a tiny venue and yet it consistently produces some of the best drama in Australia. I guess that only goes to reinforce the notion that money and main stages are no match for talent and commitment. Add Belleville to the long list of “must-see” theatre from this terrific company.

Coral Drouyn

Images: (L-R): Tariro Mavondo, Renaud Momtbrun and Paul Ashcroft; Paul Ashcroft and Christina O’Neill, & Renaud Momtbrun and Christina O’Neill.

Photographer: Jodie Hutchinson.