Image: www.darlinghursttheatre.com
Powerful, haunting and intense, Good Works by the late, much lamented Nick Enright originally premiered in 1994 and hasn’t been seen in Sydney since 1996. It has just opened in a splendid production at the Eternity Playhouse. Directed by Iain Sinclair the cast gave strong, dynamically riveting performances.
Set in the Maitland area where Enright grew up, it is an intricate ‘memory‘ play of two Australian families across several decades (1928-1981) and three generations, with ‘the present’ interwoven with flashbacks. It can perhaps be a bit confusing especially with all the doubling (even quadrupling) of roles, but works brilliantly. At one point it is like a radio play of Under Milkwood with the cross cutting of women’s and men’s voices. At times it is lyrical, funny and warm and at others unexpectedly savage and intensely violent.
We see the unexpected twists, complications and hypocrisy in a small town community when individuals try to do what they believe is right, as directed by the Catholic church’s dogma. But it ends up wrong despite their best intentions.
The play examines how behaviour is instilled in childhood and how children are treated. Would you ruin someone’s life, separate someone from their soulmate and only son, while telling yourself you’re doing the best thing for them?
Under Sinclair’s direction, the cast is superb in balancing and maintaining the delicate, intricate placements and rhythms clarifying and defining each of the individual characters.
The play’s complex story is of two boys, Tim (Stephen Multari) and Shane (Anthony Gooley) and their lives in small town Australia of the early 60s. Shane’s back ground is rough and tough while Tim grew up middle class. The play opens in a city gay bar some 20 years on with Tim, now an opera repetiteur, cheekily playing a game of movie trivia with an older friend Alan (Jamie Oxenbould). When ‘John’ (Anthony Gooley) appears Tim is immediately drawn to him, not least because he’s convinced this palpably menacing bit of rough trade is really his long lost friend Shane, with whom he shares a deadly secret.
Interwoven with the boys’ stories are those of their mothers: Rita Kennedy (Taylor Ferguson) , and Mary Margaret (Lucy Goleby), an orphaned, demure and nicely brought up girl, who seems to be set on the way to become a ‘model mother ‘ in the eyes of the Church. Rita, however is far more fiery and less controllable as a barmaid down on her luck, providing much material for the bitchy town gossips, and whose love will unwittingly cause her son Shane dangerous times. As Rita, Ferguson shows her character’s grit, resilience and determination battling life’s numerous trials and knockbacks in a touching performance. As Mary Margaret, Lucy Goleby has incredibly expressive eyes and at times is a focus of calm, yet possibly explosive stillness.
Jamie Oxenbould gives a towering, intense performance as Brother Clement, the horrible sadistic teacher who makes Tim’s life a dreary misery, also providing a reminder that while currently there is recrimination about sexual abuse in the Catholic church, there was also unacceptable almost barbaric physical abuse that was virtually regarded as usual and expected. Oxenbould’s amazing range can be seen as he also plays Alan, a gay bar habitué keeping a concerned lookout over Tim, and the ghastly, sleazy pub boss Barry.
Toni Scanlan is magnificent as the elegant, bossy ultra- controlling matriarch Mrs Donovan.
Particular mention must be made of Hugh O’Connor’s superb dreamlike set, a crumbling church with various multi level broken mossy topped columns that the cast energetically and at times rather awkwardly clamber up and down. Nate Edmondson’s soundscape and music is seamlessly atmospheric and haunting. There is white ‘snow ‘ on the floor set which links in with the visual running theme of the snowdome that Tim is given (childhood memories) and the enchanting ‘snowing’ at the end. Sian James-Holland’s inspired lighting is superb and there is wonderful use of shadows at various points.
A most intense, thought provoking, sometimes disturbing production excellently acted.
Good Works
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Director Iain Sinclair
By Nick Enright
Featuring Taylor Ferguson, Lucy Goleby, Anthony Gooley, Stephen Multari, Jamie Oxenbould, Toni Scanlan
Production Designer Hugh O’Connor
Lighting Designer Sian James-Holland
Composer & Sound Designer Nate Edmonson
Assistant Director Nick Radinoff
Fight Choreographer Scott Witt
Movement Choreographer Julia Cotton
Stage Manager Michelle McKenzie
Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst Theatre Company
30 Oct – 29 Nov 2015
