On A First Name Basis

On A First Name Basis
By Norm Foster. Harbour Theatre. Directed by Peter Kirkwood and Nicola Bond. Camelot, Mosman Park, WA. Sep 15-24, 2017

Harbour Theatre’s On A First Name Basis was a sweet, moving little comedy. Well constructed by playwright Norm Foster, it is written with lovely moments, but it is also very dependent on having an excellent pair of actors to steer it to success.

Directors Peter Kirkwood and Nicola Bond chose ideal actors. Jarrod Buttery and Meredith Hunter, both excellent, well-respected performers in their own right, have previous on-stage relationships and work together seemingly organically and intuitively.

Not quite a romance, On A First Name Basis tells of an evening in which successful author David Kilbrade decides to talk to his long-term housekeeper, essentially for the very first time. Lucy has been in his employ for nearly all of her adult life, and while she knows almost everything about him, he knows almost nothing about her, not even her first name.

This production was two hours of people talking, with very little action and a gentle pace. There are no cliffhangers, secrets are revealed without fanfare and (spoiler alert) there is little physical contact, but this was nevertheless very compelling theatre, beautifully drawn performed and expertly drawn.

Set design by the directors, was simple but perfectly finished, lighting (Rob Tagliafelli and Callum Hunter) was appropriate and unobtrusive, with sound well chosen and well managed.

On A First Name Basis was a delightful show that was a pleasant surprise package.

Kimberly Shaw

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.