Satisfying evening of theatre

Press, 4 August 1976, Page 4

Satisfying evening of theatre

Three festival plays of one act presented by the Elmwood Players at the Elmwood Playhouse, August 3 to 7. “One Season’s King.” by George Mac Ewen Green, directed by Alex Henderson. "Suddenly Last Summer,” by Tennessee Williams, directed by Gladys Thin. “Adaptation,” by Elaine May, directed by Stewart Robertson. Running time: 8 p.m. to 10.50 p.m. Elmwood’s three entries for this year’s New Zealand Theatre Federation area festival form a well-balanced tvenmg of plays when prelented by themselves. The tontrast of moods and styles, toupled with the placement tf a straightforward satire as I final choice, easily enabled |he audience to retain its in|>rest in each offering, in I->ite of the length of the Lining. The theme of the first play, ‘One Season’s King,” is implied bv the title, but it does jot lead to a very satisfactory resolution, since the author's ( oughts on the transitorijess of life rather overleigh the slight story of a

girl amorously pursued by three men. However, it is never less than interesting, especially in this production, which succeeds through a combination of constant pace and very thorough direction. Long speeches are highlighted by the judicious use of movement, and clean grouping emphasises the relationships of characters to one another. Thorough direction also allowed the whole cast to work as a team, leading to a very uniform standard of performance from all the speaking roles (Mary Gray, Maurice Barnes. Barry Smith, and James Marsh). Yet the production could be improved by a greater differentiation of the class distinctions between the three men, and, if possible, a slightly more sympathetic lighting scheme. The second play, by Tennessee Williams, was undoubtedly the piece de resistance of the evening. Williams demonstrates not only a far more acute understanding of human interaction than “One Season’s King,” but also a far greater craftsmanship in the handling of intense scenes. But precisely because it is so much more skilfully constructed, it demands a far greater commitment from its performers,

a demand that seemed only partly fulfilled. This is not to denigrate what was an excellent performance of a very difficult play. It is a credit to the cast that it was able to come as close as it did to recreating the electric atmosphere which Williams requires. Each actor contributed with a convincing performance, although Frances Pattinson and Carl Dyhrberg sustained the atmosphere particularly well, with Dianne Hopwood in an arduous role. They were helped, too, by a remarkably evocative and fragrant set, although it turned out to be clumsy and obstructive—to the point of collapsing on stage—a predicament which the cast coped with most professionally. The final play, presented after an interval, is a modem allegory on the American Dream. Written by Elaine May, who has gained a reputation for unsubtle, scorching satire, it follows the progress of an ordinary American who journeys through life in the form of a snakes-and-ladders quiz game. The play, with its short scenes, is better suited to television of film, and provides severe problems of pace for a hard-working cast.

which is often forced to gallop on and off stage in a frequently unsuccessful effort to maintain momentum.

As in the first play, the cast was obviously well rehearsed and gave a very uniform performance, in spite of an occasional loss of accents, resulting from the requirements of playing utility parts. Although the audience enjoyed this production, it would benefit from even greater enthusiasm, and vastly increased pace, if only to cover the shallowness of the material. In all, it is a varied and satisfying evening of theatre, arising from a commendable amount of hard work and commitment. There are areas which need improvement, but it is essentially improvement on a sound basis. —John Farnsworth.