Last of the Red Hot Lovers
Written by
Neil Simon. Directed by Anne Somes. Associate director and set designer Cate
Clelland. Costume designer Fiona Leach. Lihting designer Mike Moloney. Sound designer Neville Pye.
Theatre 3. Canberra Repertory Society, February 22-March 9. 2024. Bookings:
62571950. Canberrarep.org.au
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
Canberra Rep has scored a winner
with its latest production of its 2024 season. Neil Simon’s cautionary tale of
temptation and infidelity is given a stylish, slick and entertaining production
that is an ideal choice for Canberra’s long-standing repertory company. Last of
the Red Hot Lovers is laced with irony and Simon’s trademark wit. Barney
Cashman (David Cannell) is facing a mid-life crisis. The 47 year old owner of a
fish restaurant has been faithfully married to Thelma for 23 years, but finds
life and opportunity slipping by and decides that it is time to embark on a
marital affair. His clumsy attempts with sophisticated and experienced Elaine
(Victoria Tyrrell Dixon) offers little comfort to a man inexperienced in
infidelity. Nor does his liaison with fantasizing paranoid bimbo Bobbi(Stephanie
Bailey) provide fulfilment. Barney is forced to face reality when confronted by
his best friend’s wife, Jeannette (Janie Lawson), a middle-aged neurotic
depressive out to avenge her husband’s infidelity. Simon cleverly introduces
each woman separately in the three acts of the play. Only Cannell appears in
each act, which is a demand that Cannell meets superbly. He is a natural clown
while also capturing the vulnerability of a man confronting the anxiety of his
illicit encounters.
Director Anne Somes has cast the
production with an eagle eye for the distinctive personalities in Simon’s rib-tickling
comedy. Tyrrell Dixon perfectly plays the detachment of a woman in search of
her own sexual gratification to give her life meaning. Stephanie Bailey is outstanding
as the goofy neurotic nightclub singer fabricating a life of fame and adventure,
fused by the haze of pot. Bailey’s performance shines with the promise of a
bright theatrical future. Lawson’s Jeannette is a difficult role, created as a
voice of conscience and reality by Simon, with the possible touch of
autobiographical reflection. Lawson has been well cast as the mirror image to
Cannell’s Barney. Simon has left his moralising to the final act as a warning
of the dangers of the mid-life crisis and the consequences of embarking on an
affair.
 |
| Daved Cannell as Barney Cashman |
It is Cannell’s perfectly timed performance of the bumbling Barney and his skill in conveying the pathos of the sad clown’s physical business that makes his performance a highlight to savour. Somes directs her cast with assurance and empathy for each character’s vulnerability. She balances the hilarious comedy and wit of Simon’s situations with a deeper appreciation of human frailty in a production that is guaranteed to entertain and offer food for thought.
Rep’s usual high production
standards are again evident in Clelland’s set design and sound designer Neville
Pye’s choice of popular 60’s hits as a homage to the period of the play. My
only quibble is with the lighting changes and unnecessary cross fades from
Barney’s mother’s apartment to the couch. Maybe they are there to focus on the
unsuccessful attempts at seduction, but with a cast as strong as this and a
director as clear-sighted the play could be staged without the distraction of
puzzling lighting changes at the preview.
Rep has again produced a show by
a master of comedy that may appear dated to some but will still have you
laughing out loud and maybe taking a moment for personal introspection.
Whatever the case, you can be guaranteed a great night of entertainment at the
theatre.
