Duncan Graham’s Dreams in White is somewhat loosely inspired by the disappearance of Sydney businessman Herman Rockefeller in 2010, but enriched by many ‘what ifs?’ and ‘perhaps’. The play is also partly an examination of how ‘clothes maketh the man’: how we see ourselves and how are we seen by others.
The sudden disappearance of wealthy real estate agent Michael Devine (Andrew McFarlane) causes his wife Anne (Lucy Bell) and their teenage daughter Amy (Sara West) to fear the worst, but what they discover when the jigsaw puzzle of his disappearance is pieced together is beyond their wildest imaginings.
On the other side of town, struggling suburban couple Paula and Gary Anderson (Mandy McElhinney and Steve Rodgers) are being harassed by a sleazy and insistent individual they know as Ray Wimple, whom they met through an ad in a swingers’ magazine. Now they’re stuck with his demands and undesired attention.
When these two worlds collide, neither family will ever be the same.
In his program notes, the playwright notes that ‘Dreams in White is based on ‘real-life’ events but never authentically re-presents them. It attempts to collide the included and excluded and release the terror and violence within.’ His dialogue is extremely contemporary, sharp and with precisely controlled rhythms. Very strong language (and partial nudity) also features prominently.
The excellent cast smoothly double their roles, an element of the production which can at first be a little confusing but is soon understood. As Gary, a construction worker who is rorting the system, Rodgers is a bearded hulk of a man, powerful, explosive and dangerous. He also plays another character, David, who is unemployed and rather lost.
In elegant black, Lucy Bell is magnificent as Anne, Michael’s devoted wife. She also plays David’s sister, Julia. Anne seeks to keep up appearances and is always impeccably dressed. She is also tormented by guilt – why did Michael leave her? Was it her fault? – and thrown completely for a loop when his secrets are uncovered.
The very handsome Andrew McFarlane gives a magnificent performance as the charming Michael – the concerned, loving father of Amy – who also lives a secret life as the odd, disturbing Ray who is pestering Gary and Paula. Does Michael have multiple identities and mobiles somehow concealed from his wife? Is Anne really the stalwart and supportive wife she appears?
Sara West as Amy gives a firecracker performance as a troubled young woman. The scenes between her and her father were brilliantly done. Is Amy ‘good’ or ‘bad’? And if she’s ‘good’ why on earth did she send those provocative photographs of herself taken in her dad’s office?
Mandy McElhinny is also terrific.
There are some strange and shocking scenes towards the end of the play, in which nothing is what is seems and no one is who they appear to be.
Teresa Negroponte’s strong designs bring us a few chairs and tables with some wonderful sliding door screens accessing other areas of the property. The set can be a posh multi-storey house, a TV studio, or a psychiatrist’s rooms – there are numerous fluid and cinematic scene changes. Hartley Kemp’s magnificent lighting design is sometimes lyrical, sometimes harsh and bleak.
Dreams in White takes its audience on a rollercoaster ride of volatile tension and chameleon emotions. A tremendous cast under Tanya Goldberg’s excellent direction bring this dark portrayal of unhappiness, unease and guilt to vivid and disturbing life.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Griffin Theatre Company present
Dreams in White
By Duncan Graham
Director: Tanya Goldberg
Designer: Teresa Negroponte
Lighting Designer: Hartley TA Kemp
Composer: Kelly Ryall
Dramaturg: Teresa Leong
Cast: Lucy Bell, Mandy McElhinney, Andrew McFarlane, Steve Rodgers and Sara West
Running time: 90 mins (approx) no interval
SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross
8 February – 23 March
