Scorched is what you get when theatre makers are prepared to
experiment with all areas of their craft. French Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad created
the script based on the ideas and individual talents of his actors. Director
Neil Armfield had to experiment with ways of staging the play with his own Australian cast.
Two twins, Simon(Ashley Lyons) and Janine(Yael Stone)are requested to take letters to a long lost
father and brother by their mother, Nawal, in her will. This quest reveals the truth about Nawal (played at various stages of her life by
Paula Arundell, Gillian Jones and Zindi Okenyo). The play is set in an unnamed middle-eastern country, torn apart by
warring factions
Janine tries to understand events by drawing on analogies
with pure mathematics which she is currently doing a PHD on. There is a danger
that the play could get bogged down and pretentious in trying to deal with such
dense concepts but the plot is kept moving. In contrast, Simon deals with
things through profanities and a boxer’s rage.Comic relief is used expertly in the form of the eternally nervous notary,
Alphonse Lebel, brilliantly played by Brian Lipson. His streams of hopelessly
confused clichés are a great tension breaker and never outstay their welcome.
At 2 hrs 50 minutes, there are several places
where the script should have been trimmed. The final twenty minutes just retreads old ground and detracts from the
rest. The ending fails to pack the punch that the play needs.
Director Neil Armfield has created a constantly intriguing
visual spectacle. The stage is covered in sand. The sand is swept away or pushed
together in clumps around Nawal as she gives birth.
Music is part of the play, rather than just
being a mood enhancer. Carl Dewhurst, plucks
and strums his guitar, creating strange deep drones. Music intrudes into the play
itself, when Janine talks to a man who is busy doing a sound check for an
upcoming rock concert. Nawal herself is known in legend as “The women who
sings”.
Scorched is highly
recommended for a unique night at the theatre. Prepare to be
indulged with poetry, sight and sound.
Company B presents Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad
Venue: Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills Dates: 23 July – 7 September Times: Tuesday 6.30pm, Wednesday to Friday 8pm, Saturday 2pm & 8pm, Sunday 5pm. Tickets: Full $54. Seniors (excluding Fri/Sat evenings) and Groups 10+ $45. Concession $33.
Student Rush $25 for Tuesday 6.30pm and Saturday 2pm, available from 10am on the day (subject to availability) Bookings: 9699 3444 or www.belvoir.com.au Facebook:www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=13004666868
The performance "Scorched" was extremely powerful and excellent. It was emotional and very surreal. Overall, it was an excellent performance to watch at such a close-up view.
"Scorched" is certainly a performance to be remembered. Neil Armfield had manipulated all aspects of the play and enforced transitions in such a way that it was reminiscent of movie techniques. The sounds were excellent - the guitars just melded the atmosphere from scene to scene and truly changed the mood in various areas of the play. The beginning is confusing to the unaware, but one is not left clueless before the first intermission. Although the ending had its bland points, it was an overall engrossing experience that combined the audience with the events of the performance.
To capture all of the beauty of the performance, however, one should sit in an area overlooking the entire stage with viewpoints of all entrances, etc, if possible.
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