Photos – Heidrun LohrIn a year of very strong productions at Belvoir so far, this new work, Every Breath has been highly anticipated. It is the debut play by outstanding director, Benedict Andrews and heralds the long awaited return to the stage of the very brilliant John Howard.
There is no denying the ambition and grandeur of the ideas, the stylishness of the direction and the very impressive role played by the creative team in this production. However, the script is not yet fully realised and might have been better served with further development. On opening night there was a sense that major surgery had been performed at the last minute and, despite the high calibre of the performers, the cast was sometimes uneasy with their lines.
Every Breath is set poolside, at the affluent home of a cultured family: Leo, a novelist/playwright, his beautiful wife, Lydia and their 16 year old twins, Olivia and Oliver who want to become separate, unique individuals. Due to some sort of threat, their home is patrolled by a security guard, Chris (Shelly Lauman), who, though passive and bland, has a powerful effect on each member of the family. Chris is a cipher through which the family members express their own needs and desires.
Andrews frequently references Greek mythology and the play has an overarching feel of Greek tragedy. Besides Leo, the characters work as archetypes rather than real people with their own back stories. Lydia (Angie Milliken) is the lonely wife, Olivia (Eloise Mignon) is hungry for sexual experimentation and Oliver (Dylan Young) wants love. Beyond that the audience doesn't know very much about them. It makes it quite hard work for the actors who, as good as they are, and as valiantly as they tried, couldn't always hide the strain on their faces.
The audience's patience is also tested at times. At one point Oliver and Olivia sing a song badly. If it had been a single verse it might have been amusing, but after four or five verses it wore out its welcome.
Of the actors, John Howard had the most to work with. Leo, the successful writer, sees himself as a victim of the expectations created by his fame. One of the play's concerns is the creative process and the effect it has on the self. John Howard delivers fine work in his long speeches about the difficulties of his character being defined by his writing and his deep need to keep his creativity fresh despite its baggage.
The effect of Chris on the family is ambiguous. At times Chris is portrayed as having a profound effect on each member of the family, but ultimately they are exploiting him. Oliver tells Chris that to Lydia and Olivia, he is just one of many lovers.
A warning: don't go if you are uncomfortable with nudity and sex. There is a lot of sex. All the family's needs – whether they be emotional or creative – are ultimately fulfilled through sex. Some of it is hard to take seriously. Leo's relationship is the most convincing, but again, his character is the most developed.
Designer, Alice Babidge, has cast her magic with both the costumes and the striking, imaginative set. Like the script, however, the set was a great idea that didn't always work in practice. Part of the stage is lifted on four steel chains to reveal a sunken section which, thanks to Nick Schlieper's lighting, becomes a shimmering pool. This great, heavy structure tilts, raises and lowers according to the tone of the scene and its underside is mirrored to reflect the action. It is imposing and spectacular but obtrusive at times with a mechanical glitch on opening night requiring the actors to leave the stage for an unscheduled break.
Out of the blue, the play concludes with Chris explaining the power of this figure over mere mortals. As an explanation for what has gone before, however, it is too little, too late and it comes across as didactic.
Belvoir presents
Every Breath
by Benedict Andrews
Director Benedict Andrews
Venue: Upstairs Theatre | Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St Surry Hills NSW
Dates: 24 March – 29 April, 2012
Tickets: $62 – $29
Bookings: 02 9699 3444
