| His Girl Friday | Melbourne Theatre Company |
| Written by Heather Bloom |
| Friday, 17 August 2012 18:05 |
 Left – Christopher Stollery, Pamela Rabe and Philip Quast. Photo – Jeff BusbyWhen an audience walks into a theatre, be it cinema or stage, the allow themselves to enter another world. A world carefully constructed to entertain and engage, a place where romance still exists and the good guy can win. This fantasy world is by no means easy to achieve and the Melbourne Theatre Company's screwball comedy, His Girl Friday sets a cracking pace, appealing to the audience at all angles without overwhelming them completely. It is with a pleasant sort of madness that His Girl Friday is performed, as both witty banter and physical comedy attempt to outdo each other in their silliness. Set in the dank press office of Chicago's criminal courts, His Girl Friday is an amalgamation of John Guare's 1928 play The Front Page and the 1940 Hollywood film of the same title. The Newspaper Men who run the city take turns playing cards, drinking and running stories that are more sensational than accurate. The hot topic of the day is the impending hanging of "cop killer" Earl Holub (played by David Woods STC, Pygmalion). Holub's crime is merely a case of bad timing, the ex-German Jew is the Mayor's scapegoat in ensuring his future in office, presenting Holub as a Communist terrorist and himself as the hero who rids him from the city of Chicago. However it's not all doom and gloom, the play is an extraordinary example of how much fun can be had in the theatre, with a stellar cast able to portray slapstick humour with touching sincerity and impeccable timing. Phillip Quast (Macbeth, South Pacific) as Walter Burns is the Managing editor bent on scooping the "real story" behind Holub's harsh sentence, not for any moral desire to save a man's life but rather for his own personal gain in the world of Newspaper Men and Chicago hacks. Joined by his star reporter Hildy Johnson (Pamela Rabe, God of Carnage, Much ado about Nothing) and current ex-wife, Burns is determined to lure Johnson back into the salacious world of reporting and win her heart as well. What ensures is nothing short of hilarity. Rabe is a tough talking city girl, who wants to leave her past behind in order to marry insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin (Christopher Stollery) and yet can't resist the temptation of a Pulitzer Prize winning story. His Girl Friday is a grim and gritty look at the sensational world of journalism and proves that very little has changed in the profession over the last century. Technology may have evolved, but the desire for sensational stories over truthful reporting remains ever as prominent in 2012 as it did in 1940's Chicago. His Girl Friday is nonstop action from start to finish and the sheer energy of the performers is astounding. Combined with the pages of overlapping dialogue, the performers offer a whirlwind of entertainment that is nothing short of joyous. Both dramatic and pantomime, His Girl Friday is far too much fun to resist. Melbourne Theatre Company presents His Girl Friday Adapted by John Guare from the Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles McArthur and the Columbia Pictures film Venue: Playhouse, Arts Centre St Kilda Rd Melbourne Dates: 11 August – 15 September, 2012 Tickets: from $56 Bookings: 03 8688 0800 | mtc.com.au Comments (1)Subscribe to this comment's feedWrite commentYou must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
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The performances were tremendous. Pamela Rabe never better: tremendous acting, great movement and theatrical business - and she looks fantastic after all the workouts she's been having with this delightful production. Phillip Quest excellent as the male hero antihero – handled all the rapid-fire changes of tone from hectoring to gruff love to newspaperman speeches superbly. Christopher Stollery did the straight man new fiancé well. Deidre Rubinstein;s performed superbly a harridan character with a tremendous amusing feminist (?) literary rant and then a short reprise of it later.
Some reviewers have said the play is a bit movie-esque and not sufficiently deeply developed but I disagree. After all The Front Page was a theatrical production first before it was converted to the movie starring Roz Russell and Cary Grant. And in my view having Hildy Johnson as a woman gave the play additional emotional resonance – rather than a boring bromance which might have arisen if Hildy was a man there was romance with Hildy a woman: artistically it opened the play out and gave it more emotion to add to the political and journalistic repartee. And what a script – it was originally written in the 30s but, adapted by John Guare, it has all the resonance of a fresh modern take on political venality, journalistic venality and the immorality of the fourth estate.
It was a long play: with intermission about three hours, but had no longeurs. The setup before intermission translated into tremendous screwball comedy, wordplay, physical antics and theatrical pleasure in the second half. The pace ran at machinegun tempo, but with excellent timing and rhythm. Loved it.
This is a wonderful production, hugely enjoyable. Theatre goers from around Australia should flock to it. It will live in your memory.
I hope the ABC or someone does a video/movie of it. In my view it's as memorable as the first movie and as well acted and directed.
(Small correction in the review above: it was Ben Hecht's original play adapted by Guare).