SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER : Review
June 16th 2000 07:12
COMPANY B BELVOIR PRESENTS A PRODUCTION OF
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
DIRECTOR Neil Armfield DESIGNERS Brian Thompson, Tess Schofield LIGHTING DESIGN Nigel Levings CAST Gillian Jones, Malcolm Kennard, Meaghan Davies, Lynette Curran, Daniel Wyllie, Catherine McClements, Betty Lucas
OPENED AT BELVOIR STREET THEATRE ON JUNE 14, 2000
This production is conducive to existential hysterics. Neil Armfield brings devoted insight to his realization of Tennessee Williams' motif of despair. Nigel Levings works strange wonders with light.
Catherine McClements as Catharine Holly sustains a performance that is as dangerous as you can imagine, you have every right to fear for her, not only because of her directness and honesty. Mrs Venable played by Gillian Jones is an arch hollow monster ready to maim anyone who dares babble on about the death of her son.
Supported by the likes of Lynette Curran as Mrs Holly and Betty Lucas as Sister Felicity, this is a tour de force of tragicomic Gothic horror. I knew I was having one of those exceptional evenings in the theater as I was experiencing Suddenly Last Summer when I turned my head to look away from the stark raving lunacy on the stage to see the director in the shadows tenaciously writing notes. He brings a play like this on to the Sydney stage right at the moment, offering such a compelling and thoughtful production, contextualizing it with an inquiring social conscience (read the program & Director's Note) and Armfield is still fine-tuning!
I enjoyed it heaps. You have to see it to believe it. I have no doubt you will appreciate the experience, but be warned you may feel like screaming.
REVIEW by David Paul Jobling
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
DIRECTOR Neil Armfield DESIGNERS Brian Thompson, Tess Schofield LIGHTING DESIGN Nigel Levings CAST Gillian Jones, Malcolm Kennard, Meaghan Davies, Lynette Curran, Daniel Wyllie, Catherine McClements, Betty Lucas
OPENED AT BELVOIR STREET THEATRE ON JUNE 14, 2000
This production is conducive to existential hysterics. Neil Armfield brings devoted insight to his realization of Tennessee Williams' motif of despair. Nigel Levings works strange wonders with light.
Catherine McClements as Catharine Holly sustains a performance that is as dangerous as you can imagine, you have every right to fear for her, not only because of her directness and honesty. Mrs Venable played by Gillian Jones is an arch hollow monster ready to maim anyone who dares babble on about the death of her son.
Supported by the likes of Lynette Curran as Mrs Holly and Betty Lucas as Sister Felicity, this is a tour de force of tragicomic Gothic horror. I knew I was having one of those exceptional evenings in the theater as I was experiencing Suddenly Last Summer when I turned my head to look away from the stark raving lunacy on the stage to see the director in the shadows tenaciously writing notes. He brings a play like this on to the Sydney stage right at the moment, offering such a compelling and thoughtful production, contextualizing it with an inquiring social conscience (read the program & Director's Note) and Armfield is still fine-tuning!
I enjoyed it heaps. You have to see it to believe it. I have no doubt you will appreciate the experience, but be warned you may feel like screaming.
REVIEW by David Paul Jobling
| 30 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
