Art

I have always liked the unassuming and intimate space that is The Station Theatre. It lends itself perfectly to a play such as this, where you get drawn in very quickly to the dynamic of a very cleverly written study of a relationship brewed for fifteen years between three men, entirely different men, in life philosophy and status. Having never heard of this play and refusing to be influenced by others' experience of it through prior research, I settled into my seat without opinion or expectation. I was not disappointed!

The scenery was simple, three separate sections of the stage set as three different environments reflective of three very different personalities. The timeline was depicted as each scene moved into another of the environments; Marc’s classically decorated lounge hinting at the values he held about the longevity of fine art, history and timeless decor. Serge’s very modern and minimally styled lounge depicting his taste in modernity and expansive, expensive taste and thinking. Ivan’s home is a more practical and functional dwelling, borne of necessity rather than desire, with a kitchen come lounge area which mirrors his on the fence ‘it’s fine and does the job’ stance on his life. You would wonder how on earth these three ever became friends, coming from three fundamentally different positions about everything! Hence the lengthy arguments and debates, the monologues and diatribes and the frequent demolishing of the fourth wall which revealed to the audience insider information revealing the vast differences between the personalities.

Serge buys a piece of modern art, a large painted canvas for 200,000 euros.  Innocuous enough, one would think, but this canvas was painted plain white - and Serge paid 200,000 Euros for it. This symbolically becomes the catalyst for the development of the themes of relational conflict and characters of the story.

Marc, played by Carl Wood, opened the proceedings with a one-sided chat with the audience. His use of facial expressions throughout revealed feelings of exasperation, frustration, incredulity, downright anger and rage at what his friend Serge had just done. His abject disbelief that Serge could be so unashamedly frivolous was sublime and Carl ramped this up with the development of the story in a very skilled and well measured way.

Serge, played by John Blackwell, personified the indulgence and expensive taste of  a man in love with modern art, and culture, perhaps making him a little pretentious in Marc’s eyes and without sophistication.  John developed his position in this to great effect as self-doubt and inner conflict rose to the surface as he was incessantly and unabashedly challenged and insulted by Marc for his folly.  John responded to Marc in ever increasing self-doubt and insult which he depicted well.

Ivan, played by James Wood, was the yes man in all of this quarrel and angst. He hated conflict and would rather smooth over or run than take sides, which of course ended in disaster for him as he spiralled out of his ‘raison d’etre’ and was pushed into expressing feelings he had suppressed for years. With the culmination of years of pressure to be something other than he is he eventually exploded. This was also escalated by the pressure put on him for his pending wedding. Ivan always had to accept what he was given, do as ordered and be grateful.  Ivan could take no more of feeling pushed and pulled by not only his two friends, but now his family, wife to be and future in-laws. The lid came off and he had a complete meltdown, finally releasing suppressed feelings. In doing so he finally told his truth and stood up for himself, surprising Marc and Serge into a stunned but thoughtful silence. James gave a very believable representation of Ivan throughout. His execution of this verbose, high-octane monologue with all its energy and import, was jaw dropping to watch. He did not miss a word, a line, or expression throughout, and how he maintained and escalated the emotional energy in this demonstrated his fine acting ability.

The Director Linda MacDonald, assisted by Debbie Wigg, honed the skills of the three protagonists in this play, producing a very high-quality production. Lighting and sound were very good and the quick transitions from lighting the scene to spotlighting the monologues was smoothly executed. There was but one glitch with sound that I noticed, which was rectified immediately and did not detract. From the warm welcome I received on my arrival from the front of house staff, through to the skills of the stage crew and the high-quality performance of the actors on the stage, HIADS have indeed provided a night to remember.

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