Never too much of a good thing.
With theatre seeing a boom in production in Melbourne, Coral Drouyn believes there’s no excuse for anyone not to take a look at some of the independent companies offering twice the excitement at half the cost.
Melbourne is rapidly becoming legendary for its independent theatre companies and artistic performance spaces. It’s a movable feast on which any theatre glutton can gorge itself and be totally satisfied with the menu. There are over 200 companies and almost as many theatre venues in a city which claims more then its fair share of Main Stage theatre as a balance. But though the Main Stage theatre may be of a generally high standard, it’s in the independent companies that real artistic and dramatic innovation take place, and amongst those some are more noteworthy than others. What they have in common is a permanent company built along the lines of repertory theatre, which was the mainstay of British theatre for over fifty years. Companies often have quirky memorable names like Elbow Room, Broken Mirror, and Loose Canon. The company at Red Stitch bring to their audiences cutting edge drama in plays that have mostly never before been by Australian audiences. They have their own theatre and a strong subscriber list, and every season has something exciting to offer. Fly On The Wall Theatre, under the direction of Robert Chuter, can mostly be seen at the eclectic Chapel off Chapel with some extraordinarily offerings. Other, newer, companies are establishing themselves for their excellence and innovation. 5 Pound Theatre, the artistic lovechild of the amazingly talented Jason Cavanagh, makes its home at the charming Owl and the Pussycat, while the exciting Mockingbird Theatre has an incredibly strong ensemble and a much-lauded director in Chris Baldock and finds the venues that best suit its plays. Coming to the end of its first full season as a company, it’s fair to say that its impact on the Melbourne theatre scene has been enormous this year.
What is also heart-warming is the genuine camaraderie and sense of co-operation between so many of the companies. They help each other if they can; its essential for survival. So Jason Cavanagh gave a stunning performance for Mockingbird Theatre in How I learned to Drive – and now Mockingbird will use The Owl and The Pussycat for its explosive and provocative production of Manuel Puig, The Kiss Of The Spider Woman. Director Baldock picked the play for its passion and the dynamic between the two characters. “When you have a two-hander like this,” Chris says, “You need two strong actors who can give you that tension, that dynamic of constantly being pulled tight, and then released before breaking, like a rubber band.” Those two actors have, in my experience, never been less than brilliant in any production I have seen them in. Adam Ward has a cheeky English “Artful Dodger” charm about him, but there’s so much power below the surface. He brings a wealth of talent and years of experience in English theatre and television. We’re just lucky that he fell in love with Australia and decided to stay. There’s an energy and passion in his work that is perfect for the revolutionary Valentin. "There are a lot of layers to Valentin. So much going on underneath, every time I pick up the play I see something new, something else in the text, between the lines. As an actor it offers me a wealth of possibilities, endless exploration!" The synergy between him and Angelo de Cata, who plays the homosexual queen Molina, promises to be exciting. De Cata himself is an award winning actor whose versatility has allowed him to shine in Musical Theatre. He has a wonderful vulnerability to balance his acting strengths. "One of the main challenges I am both daunted and exhilarated by, is breathing life into Manuel Puig’s beautifully written script. And there’s so much of it!!!”
Daunted or not, both these actors will be on form when the play opens for its limited season on Friday Sept 6th. And given that each Mockingbird Production this year has been better than the last, I can’t begin to guess just how good this might be. But I’m going to be at The Owl and the Pussycat on Friday night to find out.
Image: Angelo de Cata and Adam Ward.