Time to get real
Tom
Stoppard dissects marriage with laser-sharp wit, and more than
a hint of tenderness, in the State Theatre Company’s final
offering for this year, The Real Thing.
The passion and pain of coupling characters pulsate
as the facade of happy marriage is torn asunder to answer a question
close to many a lover’s heart – is this the real thing?
Stoppard uses the technique of a play within a play
to portray the affairs of playwright Henry (Marco Chiappi). An
innovative set by designer Dean Hills provides apt ambience for
an era of vinyl records, patterned wallpaper, typewriters and
transistor radios. At the same time, Hills and director Michael
Hill present a fresh approach with a band of 80s troubadour-like
characters changing each scene. This cleverly circumvents the
many unwieldy scene changes while also emphasizing the play within
a play theme.
Chiappi gives an extraordinary performance as the
cerebral playwright brought to his emotional knees when he discovers
that intellectual prowess is no protection for love’s hurts.
His is a compelling journey from superiority and smugness to the
deeply moving emotion towards the end of this play.
The first act is funny and fast-paced, and the theatre-going
audience is almost as smug off stage as Henry is on-stage. Ulli
Birve is excellent as the bitter actress Charlotte, caught in
the endless thrust and parry of exchanging words with her playwright
husband. Much of the humour in the first act is as a result of
this exchange and the hapless nature of Rob MacPherson’s
Max.
It is the second half that changes pace at a confronting
rate, aptly portraying what happens after the first glow of romantic
love fades and the seeds of real love are unearthed. It is here
that Ksenja Logos gets to sharpen her skills as the amorous Annie.
Logos lacks the requisite sizzling sexuality of the temptress
Annie and therefore some sympathy, but her portrayal of feminine
logic and jealousy is riveting.
Newcomer Luke Clayson makes the most of his role
as the boyish Billy, refreshing in the midst of the revelations
of the second act, as do Jamie Harding as Brodie and Jude Henshall
as Debbie.
This play is amusing and yet it also reveals the
naked truth of coupling and commitment. It is as fresh now as
in 1982 when Stoppard wrote it because this theme never fades
– matters of the heart, fidelity, the need to find the real
thing remain always important. Stoppard hit just the right chord
and The Real Thing is a resounding success because it
resonates through the decades.
If you have ever been in love with a person, Stoppard
or the theatre in general, then go and see the real thing.
Stephanie Johnson
