Max Gillies is a living treasure who brings frustration, despair and humour to three fine pieces involving men at the tail end of their lives. In turn, they are excerpts from A Stretch of the Imagination by Jack Hibberd, Samuel Beckett’s Eh Joe and On the Harmfulness of Tobacco by Anton Chekov.
In the first, we don’t see Gillies, save for him walking across the stage dressed in a long coat and beanie, and carrying a firearm, but we most certainly hear from him. Snoring loudly, with the incessant ticking of a clock also apparent, Gillies, as the protagonist Monk O’Neill, is woken by an alarm that refuses to be silenced. Vitriol pours out of him with reckless abandon. And then come the complaints.
The sound effects by designer Darius Kedros are mighty. Up the stairs, down the stairs. Doors slamming. Clattering. And more. As he relieves himself, O’Neill relays just what a ladies’ man he was back in the day – “ruthless” he calls himself. Ah, the memories. Now a lonely misanthrope, he’s visited on One Tree Hill by a stranger whose fate he seals, before O’Neill amends his own will and precipitates his final hours. His hubris is apparent throughout, as are the inherent comedic elements in the prose. What comes to the fore is Gillies fine turn of phrase and vocal dexterity. He transforms into a character with a short fuse whose entire focus is himself.
Piece #2 brings into focus a phenomenal, massive chalk board set design by Jason Lehame (who is also responsible for costuming). Containing a plethora of writing on the floor and sweeping up the back wall, it is the backdrop for Gillies as he is prominent in person throughout this scene and the next. With a single teardrop bulb hanging from the ceiling, Gillies appears in dressing gown, pyjamas and slippers as elderly man Joe. He sits on the edge of a single bed and closes his eyes.
He is visited (in his mind) by a woman (the voice of Jillian Murray) who proceeds to pay out on him. She accuses Joe of mental thuggery, including a fake promise to her that the best is yet to come. She is bitter at his betrayal. Now, as the saying goes, the chickens are coming home to roost. With Murray’s delivery cutting to the quick, we are drawn to the expression on Gillies’ face – his eyes, at times open and then again shut, as this is Joe’s reckoning. It is the story of a man that has done wrong.
Richard Vabre’s precise and highly directed lighting design sees Gillies’ face spotlighted. Joe is a man drained. The offering is further enhanced by the video design of Milo Strangio. An extreme closeup of Gillies’ eyes appears across the back wall, arguably representing a window to his soul. Gillies’ is such a considered performer that even though he doesn’t say a word, he speaks volumes. It is a bravura showing.
After a brief interval for a scene change, we are confronted by small square black stage, upon which sits an attractive wooden lectern and small, round side table. Gillies enters wearing a maroon vest, matching bow tie and black tails, carrying a light brown leather satchel, in which there is a folder of typed notes. He is Ivan Ivanovich Nyukhin. He fancies himself as an academic. In fact, he is “matron”, teacher and the only male is a private boarding school run by his wife. It is she who has asked him, a smoker, to give a lecture for charity on the harmful effects of tobacco.
Nyukhin takes a dry, scientific approach, but for the most part goes off on tangents to focus on his domineering wife of 30 years, who calls him an imbecile. He expresses his wish to escape from this life, which has seen him subjugated to what he is now. Nyukhin fears his wife and is hardly proud of the person he has become. Chekov’s On the Harmfulness of Tobacco is delivered with much wit by Gillies. While there is mirth, there is also an inner sadness about the offering.
In fact, what all three works have in common is men and shortcomings – moral deficits. I commend director Laurence Strangio for bringing them together in the form that he has. Collaborating with the brilliant Gillies carries with it theatrical excellence, which leaves me extolling the virtues of what they have collectively achieved. I was excited, stimulated and satiated. This is special.
Endgames is on at fortyfivedownstairs until 1st June, 2025.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Krapp’s Last Tape (fortyfivedownstairs) – theatre review
- The Year of Magical Thinking (fortyfivedownstairs) – theatre review
- The Year of Magical Thinking (fortyfivedownstairs) – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
