Parlour Song by Jez Butterworth

Manicured gardens, lollipop trees and clean swept driveways conjure up images of cookie-cutter suburbs with more garages than you can poke a stick at and false finger-nail wearing women who pick up their kids from school in 4 Wheel Drives. It's this veneer of 'made it' and 'happy' that provides the launching pad for subtextual exploration of the three characters in Parlour Song.

Jez Butterworth's script is witty, sharp and clever. He has created a triangle of characters. Ned is a 'demolition man' who has noticed his age. He's started to lose his hair and pile on the kilos. In an effort to wind back the clock he secretly takes Rogaine tablets and starts working out to 'lose the tits.' Ned's wife Joy is blonde, manicured and bored with life and Ned. She appears to lack direction and therefore needs a distraction, which is where the third character, Dale, fits in. Dale is Ned's best mate; he is tall, tanned and married. While Ned is away on one of his numerous demolition jobs, Joy and Dale hang out and play 'sexy Scrabble' which predictably leads to an affair. There is something about this play that possibly reminds me of 'Desperate Housewives', perhaps the 'surreal' element – Ned's possessions seem to be 'disappearing' or perhaps that the element of 'suburban perfect' is actually a case of the 'emperor's new clothes.'

The play relies on the weight of the delivery by these actors. The stand-out is Drew Fairley who plays Ned. Fairley is perfectly cast and plays the part organically and candidly. The script doesn't allow for the other two characters to have as much development or inner struggle, but nonetheless Matt Dyktynski and Anna Lise Phillips deliver strong, well portrayed characters. Phillips shines in a scene early in the play when a simple duologue between Ned and Joy unfolds over dinner at the perfectly white kitchen table. Ned talks at Joy about anything and everything and we can feel that it's everything he doesn't say that’s actually being said.

The set works extremely well for the intimate setting. William Bobbie Stewart has created a minimalist set with a very clean, lime floor and long blinds as the backdrop. It has that slightly kitsch feel, perfectly McMansion-esque. Multimedia is used with images/video and quotes projected onto the blinds. The quotes, infused with a voiceover, appear to prompt a scene change.

Cristabel Sved has directed extremely well, utilizing the space effectively and entertainingly.

The 'aspirationals' provide perfect material for a play that goes beyond the straining smiles and delves into the lives of these so called happy, satisfied couples with no troubles other than “keeping up with the Jones's”.

Emma Bell

Photo: Patrick Boland