Anna Burgess. Image supplied by Good-bye Miss Monroe.
Essentially a one-man play for actor Matt Young with that tireless Anna Burgess orbiting around him, Good-bye Miss Monroe is a funny and poignant peek into a life sidelined by time: choreographer to the stars, Jack Cole. Powered by a meticulously researched script by the excellent writer/director Liam De Burca, Cole is presented as a determined, bitter and passionate lost soul finding his legacy fading in the wake of his lost muse: Marilyn Monroe.
As the play begins, we find Cole pulling himself off the ground struggling to complete his weekly dance column this week, a series of pointers for dancers beginning to break into the industry. These form the chapters that guide us through the story and Cole’s relationship with the soon-to-be icon.
Young’s performance is the centerpiece. Although a strong actor I found he took his time to find his rhythm, and warmed up into the performance as the show went on. Once it clicked in, he took over the stage, giving us an excellent character burdened by resentment and sorrow. Contrasting Young’s underplay is the astonishing performance of Burgess as she morphs from Mitzi Gaynor to Jane Russell to Betty Grable, a scene stealing Gwen Verdon to the great lady herself (look out for a dance face–off between Cole and Verdon which brought the house down!) It’s a huge display of transformative acting throughout and an endless joy to watch.
Jason Boviard’s gobo and colour laden lighting elicits both a sense of tenderness and melancholy while costume and décor design, by De Burca himself, suggests a sense of time without shoving the idea in the faces of the audience – there is never a sense that this period play is too far away from our own time.
This is a fine production regardless of your taste for 50s Hollywood or Monroe and a fascinating look in to a familiar story, told from a, generally, unfamiliar voice. Once again Chapel Off Chapel in association with Grayboy Entertainment has provided quality entertainment for a wide and diverse audience.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Good-bye Miss Monroe
Produced by Grayboy Entertainment
Written and directed by Liam de Burca
Lighting design by Jason Bovaird
Performed by Matt Young and Anna Burgess
The Loft, Chapel Off Chapel
www.chapeloffchapel.com.au
29 April – 4 May
