A hen house sits on stage, inside sits a rooster and three hens, while below them serenading them all with his cello is an unassuming fox, around this simple description revolves Slawomir Mrozek’s Serenade. Expertly directed by Marta Kaczmarek this short and sweet allegory gently provokes the audience through the actions of all of the characters; the cunning fox, the naïve (yet full of themselves) hens and their dim-witted leader, the rooster. The rooster (Adrian Mulraney) is trying to convince his three hens (Vivienne Davies, Kasia Kaczmarek and Christine Moffat) that they should stay away from the gentle and beguiling charms of the fox (Justin Batchelor), but of course, nothing goes according to plan. This beautiful piece of work is skilfully directed with the right amount of pace, allowing for pauses in all the right places. The actors give excellent performances, working tightly as an ensemble to create the slightly surreal world of the hen house and succeeding in making perfect sense out of Mrozek’s clever yet unassuming dialogue. The difficulty when staging a playwright like Mrozek (or any of the Absurdist’s) is getting the balance right between the action taking place on stage and the dialogue that is being spoken (and making sure it is being understood by the audience), and in this production this is achieved by the perfectly balanced performances that help to sustain the vision of the world being created.
The excellent set created by the Theatre Research Institute dominates the space at the Dog Theatre but also reinforces the actor’s performances, and the lighting and sound by Emily Adinolfi are understated but well placed, once again adding to the overall impression. This is a show worth seeing, especially if you are looking for an alternative to the loud noisy ego-driven stand-up comics of the comedy festival, then this delicate absurdist confection is a must see.
Tadaria Studio presents
Serenade
by Slawomir Mrozek
Directed by Marta Kaczmarek
Venue: The Dog Theatre* | 42a Albert St, Footscray
Dates: 24 March - 10 April, 2010
Times: Tue - Sat 8pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: Full $22, Concession $15, Tightarse Tuesday $10
Bookings: trybooking.com.au | At the door
* Licensed venue. Under 18s must be accompanied by a Parent or Legal Guardian.