Martin Niedermair in The Tell-Tale Heart. Photos - Jeff BusbyBarrie Kosky says he relates "wholeheartedly" to Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s aesthetic, Kosky believes, mirrors his own artistic yearnings. The mystery, the macabre, the “morbid eroticism” are mainstays of Kosky’s acquired form of confrontational theatre, and his latest adaptation of Poe’s classic, The Tell-Tale Heart, is no different. Building suspense is a talent often described as masterful, for it requires a meticulous withholding of information. Give away too much and the effect is lost; disclose too little and an audience is alienated. I can safely say that Kosky and German performer Martin Niedermair are masters of the art and exploit all theatrical elements to pull off this highly compelling one-man soliloquy.
Despite the centurial divide between Poe and Kosky, both are visionaries of their time. Poe tapped into a dark, sinister world that had been scarcely penetrated prior to his frightful literary imaginings, while Kosky possesses a rare standard of creative judgement when it comes to staging such haunting ideas. The Tell-Tale Heart brings together these two minds in a minimalist gem, with the formidable talents of Niedermair filling the remaining place in this trio of artistic distinction.
Niedermair plays the tell-tale heart, revealing little by little how he came to murder an unsuspecting old man. It was the man’s evil, vulture eye, he insists, that invited the attack. “You fancy me mad," he probes. “Mad men know nothing.” It is this awareness of our preconceptions that proves most haunting and points to a knowing mind behind the mask of insanity, which he dismisses as an "over-acuteness of the senses”. He bites, he stutters, he wails while confessing the mortal sin. Niedermair’s commitment to these physical nuances never wanes throughout the 50-minute performance. It is a beautiful and aptly disconcerting sight, soliciting the audience’s sympathy for the tell-tale’s disturbed thoughts.
Kosky’s script incorporates the language of Poe; faithful to the Romantic prose of the original, but modified enough for a modern appreciation. Weaved into the piece are baroque musical interludes, which not only break up the tell-tale’s protracted musings but further showcase Niedermair’s talent. His voice is sensational and I would have welcomed more of it, but Kosky clearly preferred to focus on the narrative. “All theatre should be focussed on the actor. I think every decision should come from what the actor does or needs,” he explains in the show’s program. Kosky also recognises the strength of Niedermair’s vocal ability: “His voice is connected to his body and his body is connected to his soul.” Purcell’s Music For A While, accompanied by Kosky himself on piano, is a deft choice to expose the tell-tale’s guilt; the lyric ‘shall all your cares beguile’ is sung with a fragility so intrinsic to the work.
Coalescing with these themes is the cleverly conceived lighting and set; simple and stark to promote the lone character. Kosky pares his dramatic vision back, which bares a brave and refreshing performance consistent with his lifelong preoccupation with the shadowy depths of humanity. It is a frankly a treat to have Kosky back in his hometown for this limited season of The Tell-Tale Heart.
Melbourne International Arts Festival And Malthouse Theatre Present
The Tell-Tale Heart
Adapted and Directed by Barrie Kosky
After Edgar Allen Poe
Venue: Malthouse Theatre Workshop, CUB Malthouse
Dates: 10 October – 20 October 2007
Times: Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm, Matinee Wednesday 17 October at 1pm and Saturday 20 October at 2pm.
Tickets: $24.50 - $47
Bookings: 9685 5111/ www.malthousetheatre.com.au