It’s Only A Play – Pymble Players arrive at The Zenith Theatre

It's Only A Play

It’s Only A Play Rating

Click if you liked this article

1

It’s evening in a New York townhouse. Plush pillows adorn the bed, and the room furniture’s white colour palette portrays understated luxury. Jazz plays as the audience is seated. I loved the director and set designer Joy Sweeney’s selection of extra-long curtains, which gave the set a high ceiling and confirmed the architecture of an upper-class Manhattan residence.
This is a room of affluence and perhaps also influence.

Terrence McNally’s It’s Only A Play could be set in any era, but it’s soon clear from the references to Broadway musicals mentioned that it’s set in the present day. We join a group of creatives (and a coat check boy) after the opening night of playwright Peter Austin’s (Nick Roberts) play named “The Golden Egg”. What “The Golden Egg” is about remains a mystery for the entirety of the play, but it doesn’t matter. What matters to these characters is how it is received by Broadway’s top theatre critics. McNally’s play shows how powerful the weight of a good or bad theatre review can affect the future of a production and the survival of some theatre venues.

This is a comedy with many big characters, oversized personalities, and even larger egos. James Wicker (played with self-centred relish by Ross Alexander) is Peter’s best friend who has come to support Peter on his big night. James had previously turned down Peter’s offer to play a character in his play, instead choosing the path of acting in a long-running series on television. Was he viewed as a sellout as he swapped over to television? It was interesting to see how Ross portrayed friendship with his character’s feelings of jealousy over casting, and the interaction between he and Peter with unfavourable comparisons being made between being a Broadway theatre actor and a television series actor.

Gus (Cameron Drake) the wannabe actor, delivers a light hearted distraction whilst everyone waits for the reviews to come in. He brings several coats into the room, ceremoniously announcing who they belong to, and dumps them on the bed, which gains a lot of laughs from the audience. Many coats have their own recognisable star factor, including coats from Les Miserables, Cats, Hamilton and Joseph and the Technicolour Coat. There’s even a musical nod to Wicked performed by Gus.

Heather Pitt’s character Virginia Noyes has a feisty ‘tell-em-how-it-is’ spunk. Virginia starred in Peter’s play that night and eagerly waits to see how her return to the stage is received. Her retelling of a certain dance onstage due to an ankle monitor was funny.

Julia Budder, played by Cassandra Gorman, is the producer of “The Golden Egg”. She decided to back Peter’s play and brings hope to the room, as well as a certain fragility. Clive Hobson’s character Ira Drew is a harsh film critic. He throws a barb at Peter: “I like you personally, it’s your play I can’t stand” is one insulting comment, amongst many others.

Tim Wotherspoon, who plays the director of “The Golden Egg” Frank Finger, is a standout. Frank Finger is a flamboyant, sensitive and dramatic character, full of hair tosses and bouts of kleptomania. His highly successful previous projects prompted a potential imposter syndrome line “I need a flop!”. The dramatics with his ‘invisible cloak’ (a nod to Harry Potter perhaps?) had the audience laughing.

Director Joy Sweeney has successfully led The Pymble Players’ first performance into their new performance theatre venue – The Zenith Theatre in Chatswood. Congratulations to The Pymble Players on their opening night.

Finally, what did the theatre critic Ben Brantley from The New York Times and other theatre critics have to say about “The Golden Egg”? No spoilers here – the second act is filled with the characters’ reactions, so you’ll have to see it to find out!

It’s Only a Play performances:

14 March 2025 – 22 March 2025.
Tickets: $35 Concession Card holders $30

To book tickets to It’s Only A Play, please visit www.pymbleplayers.com.au/its-only-a-play.

Photographer: Daniel Ferris

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Pymble Players: The 39 Steps

Pymble Players 39 Steps

Pymble Players 39 Steps Rating

Click if you liked this article

8

For their final production, before they move to Chatswood, the Pymble Players present The 39 Steps. David Allsopp directed Patrick Barlow’s 2005 play, which was adapted from John Buchan’s 1915 novel and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film.

If you are not already familiar with the story, let me assure you that you already know it even if you have yet to see it. The 39 Steps is easily where we get the plot of every spy thriller ever written. There is a beautiful woman with a mysterious accent who drags a hapless Englishman into a wild caper involving secret plans and hidden agents, which leads to a madcap chase across the Scottish moors. What is offered is a delightfully self-aware parody that the audience is invited to be a part of, and all of this is done by a stellar cast of only four actors.

Leading the cast and leading us through the story is Daniel Ferris as Richard Hannay. Richard, an average Englishman who was reluctantly dragged into the plot. At his side is Cassandra Gorman as Annabella, Margaret and Pamela, all of whom are very distinct from each other. The highlight of the evening, however, are Mitch Doran and Faith Jessel as our two clowns, playing at least 100 characters between them.

This rapid-fire performance required rapid costume changes, sometimes even on stage in the middle of dialogue, and all were done flawlessly without disrupting the comedic timing. If Ferris and Gorman form the structure of the play, Doran and Jessel are very much the energy.

Allsopp’s minimalist production design means the focus is almost entirely on our actors. I say “almost” because it is quite cheeky to see the stage managers directly interact with our cast, whether it’s a hand taking a prop or even two of them visible onstage with a fog machine and a pedestal fan.

The sound design brings richness to the performance, but even that is not above having a joke with us. When the phone keeps ringing after the character picks it up, was that deliberate or an opening night flub? I don’t care; either way, I’m laughing.

 

But I think what I admired the most was the real intimacy of the production, all the more emphasised by Pymble Players’ being in a small theatre. The action is not confined to the stage; the actors come through the audience and play part of the scene even directly in front of where I was sitting.

In the end, I think I enjoyed the play far more than I enjoyed watching Hitchcock’s film. Much has happened in the almost ninety years since the film first appeared. And while back then, Hitchcock played it completely seriously; now we can all have a lot of fun being part of the joke.

There are not many productions that can purport themselves to be “Hitchcock meets Monty Python” and can actually deliver on that promise. If you’d like to see it, I suggest you get in quickly as tickets are selling rapidly and it is easy to see why.

The season is almost SOLD OUT.

For a chance to purchase tickets to Pymble Players The 39 Steps please get to this link urgently @ https://pymbleplayers.com.au/the-39-steps

Session Dates/Times
November 1 Friday at – 8:00 PM
November 2 Saturday at – 3.00 PM
November 3 Sunday at – 3.00 PM
November 8 Friday at – 8:00 PM
November 9 Saturday at – 3:00 PM
November 10 Sunday at – 3.00 PM
November 13 Wednesday at – 8:00 PM
November 14 Thursday at – 8:00 PM
November 15 Friday at – 8:00 PM
November 16 Saturday at – 3:00 PM
November 17 Sunday at – 3:00 PM
November 22 Friday at – 8:00 PM
November 23 Saturday at – 3:00 PM
November 23 Saturday at – 8.00 PM

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

The Spook

The Spook

The Spook Rating

Click if you liked this article

7

Travel back to the heart of 1960s working class Australia with ‘The Spook,’ by Melissa Reeves, where the spectre of betrayal looms large and true friendships are put to the test.

Set within the sleepy country town of Bendigo, we are drawn into an examination of the impact of external threats on community dynamics, and the frenzy of Cold War paranoia. These themes are personal, local and global. What makes them resonate is that this biting satire is based on real life events.

Director Casey Moon-Watton presents a thought provoking and at times confronting plot packed with political discourse and fiery debates. Audiences will listen carefully, perhaps even access Google afterwards when words like ‘Trotskyist’ and ‘neo-Marxism’ are casually dropped into the conversation. Loyalty, camaraderie and treachery interweave, yet despite the seriousness of these themes, it’s also unexpectedly funny and at times wryly witty.

In the tense Menzies era, where neighbours could be seen as enemies, the characters are vividly real in their flaws. Moon-Wattons’ open, minimalist and deliberately incomplete set design places each character’s emotional journey front and centre while serving as an ironic metaphor of the story’s exploration of hidden truths and obscured realities.

We experience this story through the eyes of young and naive Martin (Cameron Drake), who is teetering on the brink of adulthood, yet lacks direction and ambition. Struggling to find his identity, he is trapped within the confines of a stifling and banally homogenous community. As with most young adults, Martin just wants to be liked, seen and belong. This makes him perfect fodder for recruitment as a spy against the local Communist Party. Drake presents an agonising mix of adolescent awkwardness and bravado. As Martin slowly comes of age, he is forced to find his moral compass through the gradual realisation that life isn’t a game of heroes and villains.

Trixie, his watchful and disapproving mother, (Courtney Farrow) is everything you’d expect to be in a middle aged woman living in a small post war country town; stoic, repressed and afraid of change. Farrow did well to widen the generational gap despite being quite young for this role. She juggles quick costume and character changes with aplomb to also play Phyllis, the bright but unwitting member and partner of world weary party leader Frank (Rawdon Waller). Frank is the strong but abrasive voice of reason and Waller displayed an accurate understanding of an angry man battling within a system that is rapidly heading towards self-destruction.

Brett Joachim is Martin’s amusingly aloof Controller – in every sense of the word. He is oily and snarky as he manipulates and corrupts his charge’s innocence. He knows Martin is missing a father figure and confidante, which makes his actions and nonchalant lack of empathy quite ghastly.

Tida Dhanommitrapap has the daunting task of playing triple roles. Jean, a perpetually late party member and a stiff-upper lipped policewoman in Act 2. Her main role is Annette, Martin’s girlfriend, who delights in having something apart from Pick-a-Box to distract herself from her utter boredom of small town, small minded constraints and complete indifference to her pending marriage. Both an accomplice and hindrance, she enjoys the perceived glamour of her second-hand status without any of the moral repercussions.

(Nathan Heinrich and Kate Kelly) deliver solid and authentic performances, while producing credible accents as the mysterious Greek couple George and Eli Tassak. Their sad plight and immigration journey is compelling and raises the stakes in forcing Martin to see the real people and motivation behind the “right little nest of dirty Reds”.

Geoff Jones cleverly weaves a subtly chilling soundscape, complemented by an array of pop music and protest songs during scene changes. This enhanced the atmosphere of the era, adding tension and mood, while Anthea Brown’s costumes captured the ultimately conservative modesty of a country town lagging behind the trends and heady days of the swinging 60’s.

We have the indulgence to observe this distinctly Australian zeitgeist through the unique lens of historical context. In light of current politics around China, Palestine and Russia, it is more relevant today than ever. Will it never not be relevant?

‘The Spook’ serves as a timely reminder, highlighting the cyclical nature of history while injecting fresh perspectives into ongoing debates, with a distinctly nostalgic flavour. See this show to reignite your political fervour, embrace your apathy, or simply laugh at the consequences of both.

‘The Spook’ by The Pymble Players plays from 15th May – 8th June 2024. See https://pymbleplayers.com.au/the-spook for details.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!