Good People

Good People
By David Lindsay-Abaire. Director: Kaarin Fairfax. Red Stitch (Vic). February 3 – March 3, 2012.

There is a palpable air of expectation in Good People, when the lead character Margaret (Andrea Swifte) prepares to go to a party at the home of her ex-boyfriend Mike (Dion Mills), hoping that his  middle class connections will get her a job. She’s just been fired from another low-paid job, and is struggling to support herself and her disabled daughter in South Boston, or “Southie” as its mostly working-class Irish residents refer to it. It’s fascinating to think of two people who grew up in the same poor neighbourhood, who were once teenage lovers, taking two completely different paths in life, and then meeting again as adults. Mike climbed the social ladder and has a comfortable life as a fertility specialist, while Margaret remains a “Southie”.

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (writer of Rabbit Hole) is interested in what happens when these two people are put together. Unfortunately, the question is a lot more intriguing than the answer in this sometimes-frustrating play. Despite strong performances, especially from Swifte and the actresses who play her two friends Jean (Jane Montgomery Griffiths) and Dottie (Olga Makeeva), it’s an unsatisfying journey.

The problem is with the relationship between Mike and Margaret. Their brief affair in their teenage years was to have huge ramifications, especially for Margaret, but there’s not a lot of chemistry between them. When they first catch up in Mike’s office, he is polite and agrees to invite her to his house for a party, but you get the feeling it doesn’t really matter all that much to him. Sure, he does want to help her find a job, but it’s something he might do for anyone. What’s the special connection with Margaret? Mills plays Mike in such a laid-back way, it’s hard to gauge whether he feels tense, wary, happy to see her, or just disinterested. When Margaret goes to his house, and meets his beautiful young wife Kate (Alexandria Steffensen), Margaret takes the opportunity to apply the blowtorch. Mills finally gets a chance to fire up Mike, but by then you’re wondering what to make of these two. You feel for Margaret, because she is the Southie in a posh house with her former boyfriend and his beautiful wife, but you lose sympathy for her when she lets slip as many details as possible to upset everyone. Without giving too much away, Kate ends up taking Margaret to task for the situation she lives in, telling her she only has herself to blame.

The play is most successful when it talks about the role of luck and chance in people’s lives. Swifte delivers a powerful moment towards the end when she explains how a small piece of bad luck can overwhelm your life when you’re living in poverty. It’s true that when you have money, you can more easily recover from a bit of bad luck. The scenes with Margaret and her two friends, and former boss Stevie (Red Stitch newcomer Rory Kelly) at the bingo are poignant, illustrating the role of luck (good or bad) in their lives.

Fine acting from Swifte and the three female supporting actresses maintains the interest, but it’s not essential viewing.

Sara Bannister

Photographer: Jodie Hutchinson

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