That’s Life.
Presented by Carla Anita Mattiazzo. Directed by Vince Fusco. Percy Court Studio. The Lab. Queens Theatre. Adelaide Fringe. March 9-11
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Carla Anita Mattiazzo |
Intimacy is best served by an
intimate space. It is why I was concerned when I discovered that Carla Anita Mattiazzo’s
cabaret style performance was a deeply felt revelation of the personal pain
inflicted by her mother’s decision to walk out on her family after forty two
years of married life. That’s Life is
an account of the trauma caused by the mother’s departure and an attempt to
understand and come to terms with such a significant event. It is a personal
tale of betrayal and confusion; a search for answers in a bewildering
situation.
Unfortunately, the towering
Queens Theatre, now a shell with little appeal, is not the ideal space for such
an intimate and revealing tale of family pain. Mattiazzo strikes a commanding
presence in her long dress and silhouetted against a backlit cyclorama. As she
softly breaks into a song that comes from the
aching heart, accompanied on piano, the lights fade up enough to make
out her statuesque figure on the raised dais.
What follows is a confessional
with one important difference. In Mattiazzo’s eyes and through her dramatic
account of events following her mother’s departure, it appears that it is the
mother who has sinned and broken up the family. In dramatic terms this creates
a theatrical flaw. We only ever have one side of the story, and the performance
becomes repetitive. Certain incidents such as the visit to her mother a year
later and the subsequent wrath of her mother’s siblings during the incident is
unresolved and the audience is left to contemplate the other side of this sorry
event.
Mattiazzo’s talents are apparent.
She has a strong voice, though somewhat forced at times due to the
amplification in the large space. Intimacy is sacrificed to amplified vocals
and when she drops to a lower register
her voice becomes breathy and indistinct. There is a deep emotional depth to
her performance, to be expected from a personal story that has had such a
profound effect on her and her father and brother. However, a performance,
unconstrained by the absence of well-written, interestingly structured dramatic
development, is diminished by an obvious lack of effective dramaturgy. At the close
of the performance, Mattiazzo is left with no resolution other than to espouse
the virtue of love. There is a congregational call to demonstrate and cherish
love. It is a noble sentiment, but That’s
Life lapses into private therapy and indulgence.
I am assuming that Mattiazzo is
just embarking upon a career in cabaret. She has the talent to develop into a
very fine performer, and she was fortunate to be accompanied by an excellent
musician but with strong direction and a skilful dramaturge, Carla Anita Mattiazzo
has the potential to become a cabaret artist with the power to move and excite
audiences. I look forward to one day possibly seeing her perform on the
Adelaide Cabaret Festival stage.