The Beast ought to come with a warning, for several reasons. Most will find it confronting. Some will be triggered by the topics explored on stage. And if you’re a vegetarian, you will see blood-red.
Written by playwright, actor, musician and composer Eddie Perfect, The Beast gives some insight into his brilliance, albeit warped mind. The Garrick Theatre stage production succeeds in its interpretation by reflecting humanity at its worst, which director Lynne Devenish delivers with messy aplomb alongside stage manager Nikita Nankiville.
The show opens with a boat trip that no one should have taken, played out by Skipper (Greg Ross), Simon (Russell Fellows), Rob (Paul Cook) and Baird (Darcy Franz). A misguided tree change follows for Rob and wife Sue (Susan Meikle), who join married couple Simon and Gen (Clare Alason). They reunite in the country, and the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” aptly speaks volumes about a society scrambling for meaning.
The finale culminates in a dinner party where every guest is culpable for the destruction of any remaining shred of morality. Their deplorable behaviour is immortalised in the gory nose-to-tail sequence, where Baird and his wife Marge (Katie Nowland) take centre stage as the moral compass of the group.
Cameo performances from Ben Vaughan-Sanders and Kieran Smith lightened the mood. However, the most surprising performance was delivered by the calf, played by puppeteer Astro Stewart, whose affinity for bovines is sympathetically delivered for all the animal lovers in the audience.
This is black comedy at its darkest as infidelity, racism and snobbery are some of the more palatable themes explored, alongside the heavy-hitting subjects of murder, cannibalism and paedophilia. In saying that, there were plenty of laughs to be had at the sheer ridiculousness of the self-imposed predicaments the characters find themselves in.
Script assistant Christine Offringa is to be commended alongside set designers and constructors Kel Camponovo and Andy Rahim, Joe Hoedermaker (sound and lighting), as well as operators Bella Melbin, Connor Barclay and Kelson McConnell.
I reviewed the show on opening night, which had been pushed back two days, and, if I’m being completely honest, I felt it could have benefited from more preparation to iron out those opening-night hiccups and unpolished sequences.
But as they say, the show must go on, especially when it comes to The Garrick Theatre’s jam-packed production schedule.
Show dates: August 1, 6, 7, 8, 13,14 & 15 at 7.30pm and August 2, 8 & 9 at 2pm.
To book tickets to The Beast, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/garricktheatre/.
