The Author's Voice, Oct 6, 1999

 by Richard Greenberg

at North Melbourne Town Hall , until October 16, 1999

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Revenge is a dish best served cold. The gnomish character, Gene, in Richard Greenberg's play The Author's Voice, knows how to dish it out at the final curtain.

The grotesque Gene (James Benedict) was "rescued" from his life as a derelict writer by the handsome Todd (Nick Barkla). Todd is far from an altruist. He is merely interested in exploiting Gene's exceptional imagination and selling Gene's novel as his own.

Talent is evidently an aphrodisiac for his publisher, Portia (Cecilia Specht) who has none of her namesake's understanding of the quality of mercy. She is merciless to Gene and scarcely able to keep her clothes on in Todd's presence.

As long as Todd is quoting his/Gene's writings, his conversation is seductive to her. Neither she nor Gene who is locked in an adjoining room when she comes to visit, can understand why Todd keeps rejecting her advances.

The characters are purposely written without much inner life. They are visible to us as almost caricatures who represent notions for the playwright. Portia is a predatory money and man-grabbing creature. Todd is a shallow, cruel and pretty boy while Gene is a deformed and helplessly romantic artist.

Essentially, the themes revolve around the bizarre habit we have of associating beauty with positive personal traits such as goodness or talent.  Why should attraction be based on appearance when the beautiful may well be ugly inside?

The Author's Voice is a good short script on the page. This production goes some of the way to fulfilling its potential. David Paterson directs it with a crisp pace and spare staging. Specht captures the sexy boldness of Portia and Benedict is a suitably grotesque and miserable Gene. Barkla egocentric Todd is competent but he seems out of his depth at times.

But there is a layer missing. The style is very mannered which does not allow any genuine emotional intensity to emerge even from Gene in his torment.

However, it is a good 45 minutes in the theatre and the twist at the end is a wonderful pay-off for the story.

by Kate Herbert f