Image by Jon Green Photography.
Combining political commentary on social policies designed to control the public; depressed teenagers after a breakup; manic cats; sexual fantasies; being nice to people with disabilities; and murder, Realism – performed by third year students of Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts – has it all! Written by Scottish writer Anthony Neilson, Realism narrates a day in the everyday life of a ‘normal’ young man. However, in this performance the confluence of ideas and actions overwhelm a true appreciation of this play.
Strong performances are given by Liam Maquire as the main character, Liam; Alexis Lane as his Mother…and the ‘cat’ (Adam Sollis). These performances are unforced and show a range and capability in their emotional expression. Harriet Davies, as one of Liam’s former girlfriends, has an amazing singing voice that brings a pathos to certain scenes, but her acting is not yet up to the same standard as her peers. The split stage effect is convincingly mobilised by director Anthony Skuse to achieve a constant sense of action which nevertheless leads to viewer confusion and disorientation. The set design by Sarah Duyvesten is consistently imaginative and well-executed.
An outstandingly funny scene is that of an operetta parody in which the lyrics for the most part consist of ‘The bunch of f****** c****’. The incongruity of black and white minstrels, combined with military attire, peaked caps, glitter and leaf blower, executed by an energetic team of actors, really excels. The shock value of these performances is not appreciated by all audience members, however, with grim disapproval writ large.
This performance feels like everything has been thrown in: it is comedy, pathos and satire co-exists with flashes of realism. The play considers the practical nature of living together and includes extreme swearing, masturbation, urination and sexually explicit performances. In the end, the piece is overly long (the break up conversation happening after our hero dies seems very misplaced) and confusing. Referencing the program notes, I find that most of what we watch is meant to be Liam’s ‘interior life full of remembered and imagined conversations, of uncensored dreams’. Yet to me it occasionally feels self-indulgent when a clear narrative structure is given up in favour of modern hybridisation.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Realism
Written by Anthony Neilson
Directed by Anthony Skuse
Set Designer: Sarah Duyvestyn
Sound Designer: Joel Bickford
Cast: Liam Maquire, Adam Sollis, Alexis Lane, Alexander Frank, Kirsty Marillier, Harriet Davies and Ben Kindon
Roundhouse Theatre, WA Academy of Performing Arts
www.waapa.ecu.edu.au
13– 19 June
