Marat-Sade ‘a winner’

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 6

Marat-Sade ‘a winner’

“Marat-Sade,”-, by Peter Weiss, traeslated by Geoffrey . Skelton" and Adrian Mitchell, with music: by Richard Peaslee. Presented by. the Riccarton Players at the Wharenri Hall, Matipo Street, 1 April r 17 to' 24. Directed by Simon Hill, musical direction by Yvonne Marth. Running time: 8 p.m. to. 18.18 • p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman. The Riccarton players have' excelled themselves. Ever. an . adventuresome group, they have .scored a winner with their ambitious production of “The. Persecution - and' • Assassination of Marat as performed by the inmates of . the . Asylum of Charenton under; the direction of the Marquis de Sade.” Much of the credit for the show’s- success lies in the superb portrayal of the ailing Jean-Paul. Marat by Warren Briinie.-His'was'an outstanding : performance ■? that exe tte very depths of ’s physical, "emotional, and ideological, anguish, .Physically handicapped by having to play most of the role from a bath-tub (Marat suffered a- skin disorder for which only immersion in water i.could Xoffer relief), Warren . Bennie" turned this confinementj to his ■ full ad-

vantage. His “prison within a prison” became not only a work place but also a pulpit, a sanctuary, a soap-box, and a, refuge. Another strength of the production was the. quality of the instrumental playing. What a pleasure it was to hear musicians of this calibre in a theatrical performance. Conducted by Yvonne Martin, the ensemble comprised Rebecca Steel (flute), Chris Power (guitar), Julie Coulson (harmonium), Frank Geoghegan (percussion), Anthony McKee-(trum-pet), and Imogen Wyborn (tuba). . There was good ensemble playing also from the inmates, of the .asylum,. All interacted cohesively as a body, yet each individual made a. distinctive contribution to the drama. In conjunction with the quartet responsible for most of the singing; — Janet Jamieson, Steve Brinkhurst, Chris Boje, and Martin Phelan — these “lunatics” succeeded in generating a sometimes terrifying. amount of energy and intensity. The overwhelming effect was positively claustrophobip, and had the action been played closer to the audience,: the ensuing sense . of imminent physical threat could have madefor a fright-

ening evening’s experience indeed. , . The unfettered ebullience of the inmates’ acting gave rise to two problems that made .the abtruse MaratSade interchanges even more difficult to follow. There were' sometimes too many aural and visual distractions on in the background. § concentration was taxed and one’s coriiprehension faltered. Letting the acting side down a little was a lacklustre herald (Chris O’Reilly) arid a static Marquis de Sade (Judd Miller). The delightful rhyming couplets so much a feature of the herald’s role sounded like back-blocks doggerel when delivered with little vocal flexibility. The man who gave -sadism its bad name came across as rather mild-mannered, devoid of any deep-rooted malice or physical menace. . Good support came from the minor roles of Simonne Evrard (Vivienne Thomas), Jacques. Roux (Richard Huber), Charlotte Corday (Gail Brophy), and Duperret (Mark Hyde). Excellent costumes, by Phyl Stables, and imaginative (if a little kaleidoscopic) lighting by Peter Williamson added the finishing touches to this.quite memorable production.