Written by
Rebecca Duke – Directed by Holly Johnson
Lighting and
Sound Design by James Tighe – Set and Costume design by Nell Fraser
Performed by
Thea Jade, Timothy Cusack and Nakiya Xyrakis
ACT Hub Feb:
9 – 11.
Performance
on 9th February reviewed by Bill Stephens.
Thea Jade (Anna) - Nakiya Xyrakis (Pearl) - Timothy Cusack (Eden)
in
"At Dinner"
A young
couple meet for dinner at a restaurant following a separation of some months.
Over dinner they grapple to rekindle the dynamics of their previous
relationship.
This is the
premise of “At Dinner”, a new play by Rebecca Duke, given its first staging as the
inaugural presentation in the ACT Hub development Program.
For these
performances the auditorium of the ACT Hub is set up as an attractive restaurant
with the walls decorated with wine racks and with the audience seated around tables
unwittingly becoming voyeurs to the conversation of the young couple whose behaviour
becomes more and more bizarre.
 |
| Thea Jade (Anna) - Nakiya Xyrakis (Pearl) - Timothy Cusack (Eden) in "At Dinner" |
Although the
staging is necessarily static, Rebecca Duke’s naturalistic dialogue effectively
keeps the audience guessing as to the motives of the couple. Why is the young
woman being so unresponsive to her partner given that they have clearly been in
a long term relationship and are meeting again after a long separation?
Several
possibilities present themselves until an impulsive invitation from the waitress
narrows those possibilities significantly. However the reaction and response of
the woman’s partner to the invitation is not as expected, until eventually, the
young couple hatch a cruel plot to humiliate the waitress, providing the play
with its intriguing denouement.
As the young
couple, Thea Jade as Anna and Timothy Cusack as Eden give convincing, naturalistic
performances. Similarly Nakiya Xyrakis has clearly boned up on correct waiting
procedure, and her performance as Pearl should set up a strong demand for her
services among local restaurants.
Holly
Johnson has drawn excellent performances from her cast. Having waitress, Pearl,
move among the audience at various points helped overcome some of the inherent
static nature of the play, but more variance in the pacing and fewer meaningful
pregnant pauses might have prevented interest sagging in the middle.
Nell Fraser’s
clever use of the existing ambience of the Hub to suggest a busy restaurant
worked well. On opening night that restaurant was full. However, Pearl’s leisurely
loitering, together with the absence of restaurant clatter or background music,
made it feel at times as though Anna and Eden were the only customers. Perhaps
this was intentional.
With “At
Dinner” Rebecca Duke has crafted a useful little play which will respond well
to multiple casting and presentation possibilities as well as providing an
auspicious launch vehicle for the ACT Hub’s Development Program.
Images provided.
