The Park by Steve
Wheat
VCA Drama Studio
until Dec 6, 1997
It is such a joy to see a play that confronts grief without
indulging in melodramatics.
Steve Wheat's play, The Park, has a warmth and wry
humour which, combined with his sensitive portrayal of four different stories
of loss, leaves us with the impression that life insists on running on - even
if the tap is at a dribble.
Jason and Julia, (Tom Healy, Jane Longhurst) who run the
groovy Le Park cafe, are to be married. Working in their cafe are their chef,
Jason's dear old lesbian pal Tina (Liz Welch), Lucy, a young mum (Jo Keen) and
Michael (Grant Moulday), their gay friend who arrives from England to
unntentionally upset the wedding apple cart.
Wheat has skilfully woven several other stories into the
fabric that glows with the muted colours of grief and lightness. Two older
couples (John Flaus, Helen Tripp, Joan Murray, Terry Kenwrick) attempt to
grieve for the death of their sons. Gabrielle (Emma Strand), girlfriend of one
of the dead men, searches for his echo in a man who may have been recipient of
his heart (Ernie Gray).
He uses the park, which is beautifully realised in Marc
McTyre's set, as the focal location for meetings, revelations, tragedies,
romance and farewells. The whole picture is an intricate emotional landscape
depicting the inner lives of this collection of characters. We want to know
their stories and soak up each new scrap of information.
Aubrey Mellor's subtle and cunningly simple direction does
not tamper with the text but allows it to speak and the actors to explore the
dynamics of silence as well as dialogue. The stillness is as evocative as the
voice.
Mellor has assembled an exceptional cast who have all
donated their time to the project. Welch as Tina balances humour with
poignancy, Keen vibrates with pain and Flaus's despair was palpable.
Wheat, whose play Cloudburst has had several successful
seasons, has written this larger piece for his graduating production. It has
his characteristic laconic observations about life and his lyrical writing
interspersed with pithy, witty dialogue. It is never glib. His musings on pain
and loss are always truthful, poignant and provocative.
The play is 'delicate', just as one character observes. It
has a sweet melancholic quality that resonates in the final fireworks display.
It's such a little time we have together and life goes on - not with a bang but
a squib.
KATE HERBERT
No comments:
Post a Comment