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| Will Huang and Rob De Fries. |
Written, Produced and Directed by
Bruce Hoogendoorn
Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre
Centre, until 19th April 2014
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
Bruce
Hoogendoorn is probably Canberra’s most prolific playwright, having written and
produced six of his own plays in as many years. His latest play, Warts & All, which Hoogendoorn
directs himself, is his most accomplished and entertaining work to date.
Warts & All follows the story of a young man,
Simon, whose promising athletic career is jeopardised by the onset of
osteoarthritis. Simon is sent to live with his grandmother, Margaret, who, in
an effort to shake him out of his depression, encourages him to join her in
preparing a family history. Though reluctant at first, Simon’s interest is
piqued when the ghost of a long-dead relative appears to him. In his enthusiasm
to unravel an intriguing family secret, he unwittingly ignites a feud between
his grandmother and some long-estranged relatives.
Heading a
strong cast, as the boy, Simon, Will Huang gives a satisfyingly well-rounded
and committed performance. Convincingly portraying his affection for his
grandmother, evident in constant barrage of good-natured and often hilarious
banter, Huang’s re-actions to the events unfolding around him are a constant
joy to watch. Equally as engaging is
Helen Vaughn-Roberts as Simon’s acerbic but loving grandmother, Margaret, and
their scenes together are delightful.
Hoogendoorn’s
decision to cast veteran actor, Oliver Baudert, as Margaret’s adversary, Alice,
is surprisingly effective. But despite Baudert’s beautifully detailed and
interesting performance, with not a hint of campiness, the idea ultimately
works against the play, because as the play contains so many unexpected twists
and turns, the expectation is that this
cross-gender casting will be revealed as yet another plot device.  |
| Will Huang (Simon) Oliver Baudert (Alice) Adellene Fitzsimmons (Kirsty) |
Rob De Fries
adds great strength to the production with a charming performance as the
somewhat confused ghost, Barry, whose surprising revelation provides the key to
solving the family mystery. Adellene Fitzsimmons and Elaine Noon as Alice’s
grand-daughter Kirsty, and the town-historian, Dotty, both provide interesting
characterisations, but both would be more effective if they followed the
examples of their more experienced colleagues and slowed down their delivery to
let Hoogendoorn’s excellent lines do the work for them.
The play
works so well that one longs to see it presented with a little more production
than the minimalist setting of tables, chairs, bed and a double-sided cupboard.
But a good lighting design by Kelly McGannon and some well-chosen costumes by
Miriam Miley-Read do much to overcome this deficiency, and it says much for
Hoogendoon’s initiative, tenacity and growing confidence in his directorial and
producing talents, that Warts and All emerges
as both an excellent showcase for his maturing writing skills and an intriguing
and entertaining night of theatre.
This review appears in Australian Arts Review www.artsreview.com.au