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Inky | Complete Works Theatre Company |
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Written by Melita Pereira
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Saturday, 31 May 2008 |
 Set in 1980’s Manhattan, Inky
is a noir comedy in which the façade of flawless and affluent domesticity unwinds
slowly, but stings like a bee.
Rinne
Groff’s Inky tells the story of Barbara
and Greg’s crumbling, “love-starved” relationship and the only
thing capable of making their world turn: Money. Motivated by their phobia of
poverty - or, at least the appearance of it - Barbara and Greg decide
to work full throttle to beat their escalating debts and hire a “bargain” nanny
named Inky to take care of their
children in the meantime. Inky is
remunerated with food and board at Barbara and Greg’s apartment, despite
proffering only sketchy information about her past in Eastern Europe and
speaking rather confused English. Channeling the determination and verbal gusto
of her obsession, Mohammed Ali, Inky
bounces across the stage throwing punches and mouthing off in spite of her
limited English, eventually breaking the ice-thin veneer of Barbara and Greg’s
domestic “bliss”.
The catalytic Inky is wonderfully embodied by Kellie Jones. Awkward, innocent and aptly out of place, Jones renders Inky as an endearing and questionable “heroine”. The interplay
between Jones and the dysfunctional Manhattan couple, played
by Eleanor Howlett and Roderick Cairns, generates a rumbling
tension which builds throughout the play, ultimately blurring the rivalries
between Inky, Barbara and Greg.
Rinne
Groff’s witty mechanics of dialogue, imbued with
revealing miscommunications and comical misspeaks, careen into the language
barrier which exists between Inky and
her employers. As suspicion is cast over Inky’s
obsession with Mohammad Ali and her fascination with prize fighting, the
violence harboured within the droning monotony and frustrations of Barbara and Greg’s daily life is unleashed. As the play unravels themes of
greed, fantasies of grandeur and soured ambitions expose the characters for
what they really are.
Inky is divided into
fifteen scenes (the number of rounds in a championship boxing match) which are signified
by the ringing of a boxing fight bell at the commencement of each new scene. Emily Collett’s set design, which
incorporates boxing ring ropes wrapped around the set, pertinently delineate the
vision of the play. Director Jacqueline
Low makes clever use of the sleek minimalist aesthetics afforded by the
set, entwining the movement of the actors with the play’s wider commentary
about familial struggles. During particularly wounding exchanges, the actors
exit the stage by lifting the ropes, triggering the imagery of a boxing match
and evoking the extended metaphor of Inky which likens family life,
family relationships and domesticity to a boxing match.
Inky is an absorbing
and thought provoking portrayal of the priorities and cravings which dictate our
lives; often floating beneath the radar, before something unexpectedly snaps us
to attention.
Complete Works Theatre Company presents the Australian premiere of
Inky
By Rinne Groff
Venue: Theatreworks | 14 Acland St, St Kilda (Map 2P Ref K6)
Dates: Thurs 22 May – Sun 8 June
Times: Wed – Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm
Tickets: $26 Full, $22 Con and Groups 10+, $15 Preview
Bookings: 03 9534 3388 or www.theatreworks.org.au
www.completeworks.com.au
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