The Motherf**ker with the Hat

American writer Stephen Adly Guirgis can’t be accused of false advertising – he clearly signals the extreme nature of his play in its title. That title may often be censored – it’s previously been called The ________ With the Hat and even The Mother with the Hat – but no punches are pulled on stage. It’s an intense work, violent in both its language and the actions the characters pursue. Even the one-liners are lethal, explosive in their humour and pitched relentlessly, one after another (and they are certainly funny – it’s not often you hear playwriting that’s this sharp).

The five characters are all addicts or recovering, facing life’s challenges with the help of drugs or alcohol, or more recently without. But even as these foul-mouthed New Yorkers attempt this new form of survival, it’s clear they have become accustomed to living for short term gains – and ignoring the consequences. That leads to a messy web of deceit and betrayal, first signalled when ex-con Jackie discovers another man’s hat in his apartment. His cocaine-sniffing girlfriend Veronica does not offer an explanation, even if she has one (that’s not immediately clear). Throughout this play, honest answers are hard to come by: even when the characters are confronted with the truth, they often deny it.

The actors’ company Workhorse was invited by Darlinghurst Theatre to reprise last year’s production of this play at the Eternity Playhouse, a larger space than the Tap Gallery where it was previously performed. Like many plays in this venue’s season, The Motherf**ker is an actors’ vehicle: an ensemble play with five meaty roles. Some of the actors take a moment to warm up but once there, their performances are top-notch. Troy Harrison and Zoe Trilsbach, the show’s producers as well as playing Jackie and Veronica, are particularly good. They often act like children: two people very much in love but who don’t know how to love.

John Atkinson plays Jackie’s sponsor Ralph as a hopeless man, lacking charisma, but his delivery never misses the mark. And then there’s the hilarious Nigel Turner-Carroll as Cousin Julio, his comic timing superb. He gets some of the best laughs, as does Megan O’Connell as Ralph’s wife: she perfectly captures Victoria’s spite for her husband in a series of hilarious comments, all before entering the stage.

Adam Cook’s direction is also meticulous – he does a great job keeping up the pace. Unfortunately, however, the play is just too long. It’s only one act but still almost two hours and the set changes even become repetitive (the design by Dylan Tonkin is effective but the later scenes would be helped by a change of setting). The play should have been cut back – the details in some scenes are simply not necessary.

Ultimately, I also found it hard to care about these characters or what they’re supposed to represent. Addicts are obviously self-destructive and it can be difficult to connect with them, but these five are not likeable enough. Their vulnerabilities seem sad rather than in any way endearing.

That’s why this is a practitioners’ play – it’s superbly done but the overall storytelling lacks the punch of the playwright’s individual words.

Peter Gotting

Images by Kurt Sneddon.