Sydney Reviews

Left – Olwen Fouere. Cover – Declan Conlon. Photos – Brett Boardman.

In Terminus, the focus is on the power of storytelling and the richness of the English language.

Terminus is a recounting of the events of one rather surreal and occasionally terrifying night when three characters, 'A' (Olwen Fouere), 'B' (Catherine Walker) and 'C' (Declan Conlon) are yanked from their everyday lives. A goes on a quest to try and stop a women who is eight months pregnant from having an abortion, B finds herself falling from a crane after her friend tries to steal her lover and C makes a pact with the devil in exchange for a beautiful singing voice which is guaranteed to woo the ladies. There are even references to Bette Midler. What is it with macabre plays and popular middle-of-the-road female vocalists? You can’t help thinking about Bliss (Belvoir 2009), an even more disturbing satire about the cult of celebrity focused around Celine Dion.

A, B and C tell their stories in three separate intertwining monologues. These monologues are written entirely in verse which range from rhyming couplets to a style reminiscent of Hip-Hip. It is a credit to the actors that their delivery never becomes grating, nor do we feel like we are listening to Eminem. The actors make their delivery as natural as possible through their use of pauses and intonation. Fouere is particularly good at this.

Presented by Ireland's acclaimed Abbey Theatre, Terminus premiered in 2007 and toured the USA earlier this year. Writer and director, Mark O’Rowe has a gift for painting pictures with his language. His descriptions of movement, punches thrown, and people falling are superb – at times they are almost too vivid. He also has a taste for black humour and a sense of the macabre, much like fellow Irish playwright Martin McDonagh (The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman).

Both are considered part of the Celtic Tigers – a generation of playwrights which moved away from traditional Irish plays set in rural areas and instead told the stories of people in cities. These playwrights also commented on the social and cultural changes that accompanied Ireland’s economic growth in the 1990’s. Both playwrights share a blackly comedic view of the world. Perhaps this black psyche is born out of Ireland’s internal struggles – or maybe someone just put something strange in the Guinness.

In Terminus, there is a giant window frame at the edge of the stage. Fragments of broken glass lie around the edge. This set design (Jon Bausor) is simple yet eye catching and suggests that something has broken in and uprooted the characters from their daily lives.

One hour forty-five minutes of monologues might seem an ordeal to sit through, but the rich language and the actor’s focus on natural delivery keeps you engaged for the most part. The final twenty minutes is mesmerising in its intensity and strangeness.


Sydney Theatre Company presents the Abbey Theatre / Amharclann Na Mainistreach production
Terminus
by Mark O’Rowe

Director Mark O'Rowe

Venue: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Dates: 4 June – 9 July, 2011
Tickets: $35 - $90 (transaction fees may apply)
Bookings: (02) 9250 1777 | www.sydneytheatre.com.au