His Ghostly Heart

His Ghostly Heart makes for interesting theatre. 20 audience members are shown into a bed room and seated snugly along all four walls. The lights go not down, but off, and the show begins. Two lovers rush into the room and the show is the story of their post-coital conversation. They talk about love, death, self-image and the darkness itself. But as the conversation unfolds it becomes clear that much darker, sadder things are really going on.

The darkness works. With no visual distractions, every sigh or rustled sheet becomes a part of the performance, adding nuance and taking the place of glances or raised eyebrows. With only the odd shadow or shape to go on, your brain adds in its own imagined pictures from dream or memory, giving an extra weight and connection to this story. The audience is also so close to the action in the small room that a real fly-on-the-wall feel is created.

Even more than usual, this play relies on the writing. This is good, but not great. There are moments of well-crafted surprise, tension or humour. The early moments as the couple chat in bed feel natural and real. But as the subject matter gets heavier, the words start to feel weighed down by it. There are phrases, sentences or even whole blocks of conversation that ring ever-so-slightly false, seem ever-so-slightly contrived. However, these are few and far between.

His Ghostly Heart is an intriguing work that packs a lot into 30 minutes.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Holden Street Theatres Company Inc present
His Ghostly Heart
By Ben Schiffer
Director: Martha Lott

The Manse, Holden Street
22 February – 18 March 2012
Bookings: www.adelaidefringe.com.au