Written by David
Williamson
Directed by Denis
Moore
Produced by Christine
Harris & HIT Productions
Q Theatre, Queanbeyan
June 24 – 28, 2014
Review by Len Power
24 June 2014
David
Williamson gives us yet another entertaining and thought-provoking play with
‘Managing Carmen’. A psychologist
employed to help a young Melbourne football star overcome his shyness with the
media ascertains the star’s dark secret.
He likes to cross-dress and not just privately. He wants to go out dressed as a woman
occasionally. This news horrifies his
manager who is concerned at the potential loss of income to the football club
if this secret gets out and there’s already an aggressive journalist stalking
the player for a good, negative story.
Played
on an attractively simple living room set designed by Shaun Gurton, the
lighting plot by Jason Bovaird cleverly suggests other locations as the plot
moves through a number of short scenes.
Director, Denis Moore, wisely keeps the pace moving swiftly until the
momentum carries us to an enjoyably farcical ending.
The
director and his strong cast capture every nuance of the interesting characters
and make every laugh count. There were
great performances from Brandon Burke as the harried club manager, Hannah
Norris as the psychologist and Annie Last as the worldly-wise girlfriend,
Clara. They were matched every step of
the way by Jamieson Caldwell in the difficult role of the cross-dressing
football player and Trent Baker as the sleazy journalist.
The
plot works well as a comedy bordering on farce but I found myself questioning
whether a star footballer would really risk a lucrative career just to have a
potentially dangerous night out in a dress and, if he was straight, as he
states early in the play, why did he want to go out and flirt with men in
bars? Anyway, it’s just a comedy with a
serious plea for tolerance under the surface and should be enjoyed just for
what it is.
It’s
been very interesting catching up with the new David Williamson plays over the
past few years. He seems to be on a roll
with clever story ideas peopled with strongly recognizable Australian
characters. Good production values and
excellent casting seem to be a signature of Christine Harris & HIT
Productions shows and I recommend this one and suggest you keep an eye out for
more shows from this company in the future.
Originally
broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Dress Circle’ showbiz program with Bill Stephens
on Sunday 29 June 2014 from 5pm.
