itch productions
5 August 2010
Euphemia Anderson Thearte, Portland
www.catapla.com.au
Review by John Hargreaves
“Lest I forget, wherefore I go – so you know, wherefore you go.”
The Year is 1875. The place is New Bedford, Massachusetts. Struggling George Anthony’s beautiful but sad wife Gretta is reduced to wearing a tatty silk gown. George must go to sea one last time to make his fortune. Engaged by the Irish Republican Brotherhood to rescue the ‘Freemantle Six’ from the clutches of the British, our hero captains the whaler Catalpa on a secret mission across the waves to our shores. To escape and claim his prize, he must outrun the omnipotent and ubiquitous Royal Navy.
The Year is 1875. The place is New Bedford, Massachusetts. Struggling George Anthony’s beautiful but sad wife Gretta is reduced to wearing a tatty silk gown. George must go to sea one last time to make his fortune. Engaged by the Irish Republican Brotherhood to rescue the ‘Freemantle Six’ from the clutches of the British, our hero captains the whaler Catalpa on a secret mission across the waves to our shores. To escape and claim his prize, he must outrun the omnipotent and ubiquitous Royal Navy.
Creating
a panoply of characters to negotiate these high adventures through the agency
of a solo performer is no mean feat. But then Catalpa is no ordinary production. It is daring and innovative
theatre.
Playwright
Donal O’Kelly uses the intimate story telling talents of a lone actor to sweep
us along a forgotten and intricate historical trail. He enhances this by an
artful combination of sublime wordsmithing and ingenious constructs. For
although we never leave a set depicting the comfy confines of a writer’s
garret, O’Kelly zooms, tracks and pans us half way around the world by
enlisting the language of film.
A
feisty seabird spreads its wings as narrator and caries us swiftly aloft. Its
raucous commentary scopes a bird’s-eye view of the grand spectacle unfolding
far below.
The
singularly challenging role of being everyone is effortlessly mastered by Des
Fleming. With humour, grace and energy, he marshals his diverse characters’
voices and postures to great effect. His versatility etches them in stark
relief against a fast evolving plot. From the infant Pearl, our captain’s
coddled daughter, to the predatory and dangerous Irish agent John Breslin,
Fleming articulates all with panache. And who better to chaperone us through
the dark intrigues of the Fenians than this native of Cork?
Another
device borrowed from cinema, the incidental music contributes an added
dimension to the drama. The score written by Ballarat maestro Wally Gunn ebbs
and flows and soothes and stirs and provokes. Pianist Biddy Connor plays from
the wings, supported by recorded instrumentals, heightening the filmic
qualities of the experience.
The
lighting and set design are stark but adaptable. Less is more. Fleming
transforms bedstead and mattress into ship’s poop. He drapes bed sheets on
clothesline to hoist sails. There is humour and satire in this playful
child-like make-believe.
To
director Alice Bishop goes great credit. Tuning the critical elements of this
minimalist production must require great finesse and a critical eye for detail.
There are no fancy props or boisterous ensemble to mask blemishes in this
performance. That she has succeeded is unquestionable.
But
the medium of the one-man show is not without pitfalls. This plot is so
intricate and the characters so numerous that occasionally one is apt to lose
concentration and become momentarily disoriented. The voice of a line delivered
may not be recognised. Some of the chanted sound effects are discords that
startle and irritate; “cliperty cloperty, cliperty cloperty.” But the engaging
Fleming always brings you back on track with a change of pace, a squawk or a
familiar word from the hero George.
“All heroes are not created
equal,” and Captain George Anthony’s feats of bravery and navigation are poorly
rewarded. But the cast and crew of Catalpa
do his saga justice. It is a great story boldly and brilliantly performed.
This review appears on AussieTheatre.com