Shaun Gurton – Theatre Press

Thoroughly entertaining

By Myron My

A book club: where everyone has great intentions to read the book but, for some reason, never seems to have the time. Either that, or the meeting itself turns out to be an opportunity to talk about everything – but the novel. In The Book Club, middle-class suburban housewife Deb Martin seems to have found the perfect literary social group, but a few indiscretions and a blurring of fact and fiction begin to create some interesting moments for Deb.

The Book Club.jpg

Amanda Muggleton is completely at ease with the demands of this production which, in her case, is portraying every single character – male and female – and relying on nothing but her spectacular facial expressions, body language and voice for differentiation. Her comedy timing and physicality is spot on and while she plays these characters as “big”, Muggleton still manages to retain an honesty and authenticity to them all.

The story, originally written by Roger Hall and revised here by Rodney Fisher, is entertaining and fun for the most part. There are times when I felt the momentum slows a little and certain events occur merely as a device for making Deb feel even more low and ashamed of what she is doing. It’s as if the script wants to push Deb so far that we have no choice but to sympathise with her, rather than trust that the audience will like her despite her actions.

However, Muggleton’s impressive performance and Nadia Tass‘ playful direction, playing out in Deborah’s book-filled living room as designed by Shaun Gurton, greatly assist in getting the audience through the lags and in quickly building towards the numerous climaxes throughout the show – both literally and figuratively speaking. The times when Deb goes out to the audience or acknowledges a reaction from the spectators adroitly strengthen the relationship between us and the character, and allows for a deeper sense of empathy to be shared.

While it’s true what Deb says about finding happiness in a good book, you can also find it in a good show. The Book Club is an enjoyable 90 minutes of laughs that can boast a story that is well-grounded yet enticingly dramatic and scandalous, and a dynamic and engaging performance by Amanda Muggleton.

Venue: Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season: Until 14 August | Tues – Sat 7.00pm, Sat 3pm, Sun 5pm
Tickets From: $70.45 Full | $65.35 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Theatre Company

Image by Casey Wong

Compelling and wrenching theatre

By Christine Moffat

The Other Place by Sharr White is one of the best-written pieces of theatre I’ve seen in a long time.

It is a fabulous double mystery: the cause of the mental disorientation of Juliana (Catherine McClements), and the discovery of what really happened at ‘the other place’. The answer to each is dark and gut-wrenching, but the play is a clever combination of bittersweet humour and authentic characters.

Tragic stories can sometimes be too brutal to be enjoyed, but director Nadia Tass has evoked a delicacy from the text, creating a production that is simultaneously saddening and relatable. This makes for a show in which the audience invests; we want to watch because we care. At opening night this reviewer and many other audience members of various ages were in tears, and more than once.

Due to the disjointed timeline of the play, it’s a tough journey for the actors. All of the cast were superb, with McClements in the lead role of Juliana and Heidi Arena as ‘A Woman’ being the standouts. McClements beautifully navigated the alternating acidity and vulnerability of Juliana. Arena played several roles, all with great humour, one with incredible pathos, and jumped between the scenarios ably. However, I believe that more could have been done visually to differentiate between her roles. I think this would have been less distracting for the audience, as playing different people only moments apart is difficult feat to achieve through performance alone. David Roberts’ performance of Ian was touching and at times confronting, making his portrayal all the more believable given Ian’s circumstances. David Whitely as ‘A Man’ had very few scenes, but he was very engaging in the stage time they allowed him.

The set design by Shaun Gurton was minimal and incredibly well-suited to the show. The transitions between locations were elegant and the sense of place was fantastic. The use of multimedia, via a giant screen at the back of the stage, was well-integrated and added to each setting in obvious or subtle ways without ever being distracting.

This production has obviously benefited from the talent and hard work of every person involved. I found the story almost unbearably tragic, but the telling of it is too well-executed to miss.

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse

Dates: 2 February to 2 March

Tickets: From $58, Under 30 $33

Bookings: Southbank Theatre Box Office 03 8688 0800 or mtc.com.au; Arts Centre Melbourne 1300 182 183 or artscentremelbourne.com.au