Deeply satisfying
Craig Beardsworth
The Lead Wait
Circa Theatre, to June 10
Reviewed by Craig Beardsworth
Be warned, if you want a rollicking, jolly night out at the theatre then this might not be for you. There is nudity, strong language and raw subject matter. But if you want a deeply satisfying theatrical experience then go see this play.
Playwright Jo Randerson paints a New Zealand family dystopia, dark secrets and dysfunction laid bare. An air of menace pervades the stage and never leaves. In this production, 14 years since its commission, everything is pared back - a skeletal set, few props, the laconic kiwi voice ringing through a stripped back script and most impressively, finely tempered acting. Everything sings in unison here.
Heather O’Carroll with locked jaw stalks across the stage as Juliet – a hard woman barely containing her pain. Her dim younger lover Ian is played by an enchanting Richard Chapman who imbues the role with pouty-lipped innocence. Scott Wills as Leon relishes his role as a psychological bully and finally the catalyst for action – the ‘Man’ played by Jason Whyte often says so much just with a stare.
This is a multi-sensory experience. The audience sitting aside a transverse stage watch and smell a fish being cooked, we hear Morepork in the distance, the sound of rain, a leaking roof (hope draining away?), people bathing – it all make us feel intimately connected to the action – the sense of foreboding is real. This is powerful theatre.
After Circa’s earlier serving of August: Osage County I was initially reluctant to see anything else. It is a hard act to follow but the Lead Wait can stand tall
Circa Theatre, to June 10
Reviewed by Craig Beardsworth
Be warned, if you want a rollicking, jolly night out at the theatre then this might not be for you. There is nudity, strong language and raw subject matter. But if you want a deeply satisfying theatrical experience then go see this play.
Playwright Jo Randerson paints a New Zealand family dystopia, dark secrets and dysfunction laid bare. An air of menace pervades the stage and never leaves. In this production, 14 years since its commission, everything is pared back - a skeletal set, few props, the laconic kiwi voice ringing through a stripped back script and most impressively, finely tempered acting. Everything sings in unison here.
Heather O’Carroll with locked jaw stalks across the stage as Juliet – a hard woman barely containing her pain. Her dim younger lover Ian is played by an enchanting Richard Chapman who imbues the role with pouty-lipped innocence. Scott Wills as Leon relishes his role as a psychological bully and finally the catalyst for action – the ‘Man’ played by Jason Whyte often says so much just with a stare.
This is a multi-sensory experience. The audience sitting aside a transverse stage watch and smell a fish being cooked, we hear Morepork in the distance, the sound of rain, a leaking roof (hope draining away?), people bathing – it all make us feel intimately connected to the action – the sense of foreboding is real. This is powerful theatre.
After Circa’s earlier serving of August: Osage County I was initially reluctant to see anything else. It is a hard act to follow but the Lead Wait can stand tall
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