Image: Arielle Thomas as Myst and Nicholas Denton as Grouper.
Having been in formed for no more than a few weeks it would be easy to be dubious about the enterprising new company Patch Adams Productions. Even the name conjures up images of a certain Robin Williams film that would be best left unsaid. Well, dubiousness, begone folks. After the thrilling night of theatre they provided this company promises to be a new force in Melbourne theatre.
For their inaugural production, they’ve uncovered a two-hand character piece from 1985 in Mark St. Germain’s Out Of Gas On Lover’s Leap. Although, obviously filled with dated references (Bruce Springsteen, Nastassja Kinsi, Def Leopard, etc.), the theme of lost teenagers remains timeless and there’s more than enough chemistry between actors Nicholas Denton and Arielle Thomas to take us back into the world of that now distanced decade. It works as a period piece, giving us a look into the children of the materialistic 80s, who are loaded with money but short on guidance and love.
As we enter the theatre, we find Myst and Grouper wondering aimlessly around the too-expensive-to-be-in-the-hands-of-teenagers car onstage. As the play starts, we learn that it’s graduation night and the two have headed up to Lover’s Leap rather than go to a party full of people they secretly detest. Myst, (short for Mystery), is the illegitimate and ignored daughter of an ageing rock star, who is tired of being the adult as her mother stays a child. Grouper on the other hand, is the angry and suicidal son of a senator who has made a life of alienating himself from others. Both have come to Lover’s Leap for a break from their sad lives and to finally have the about-time sex they’ve been working up to. Both are wrapped up in fantasy, Myst even accepts Grouper’s impulsive marriage proposal, and both tease each other with dreams of singing in bars and living normal lives. The closer they get however, the more reality sets in, the less they seem right for each other and yet, where else are they to go? Can they survive the truth?
Like most two-handers, this is a dialogue-heavy piece, (sometimes feeling a little too wise to come from the mouths of 17 year olds), which is placed in the hands of a pair of actors who are utterly sublime. Both Denton and Thomas handle the drastic shifts in tone and emotional complexity with skill and ease. Nicholas Denton is simply stunning in the role of Grouper, eliciting teenaged angst and naïvety throughout. A highlight of his transformational talent comes in a scene where they each take off their respective parents, slipping into the guise of the self-obsessed mother with a unique specificity that is simply mesmerising.
No less compelling is Arielle Thomas as the wise beyond her years yet vulnerable Myst. Although she’s consistent, it is in the second act that she really comes alive as Myst’s secrets come to the fore, testing the lost boy who can’t stop saying he loves her but is nonetheless compelled to destroy everything around him.
Both are guided by the great direction of Ryan A. Murphy, who keeps the pace flowing and snappy. Using nothing more than a car, two blocks and a few items of clothing as a set, he establishes an intimate atmosphere that pulls us into this world. He allows us to sympathise instantly with those who could be easily written off as poor-little-rich-kids straight off the bat. It’s a commendable achievement.
This production strips back the artifice and reminds us what makes a great play: acting, script and direction. This back-to-basics approach is missing all too much in Australian theatre, and it’s exciting to find a pair of vibrant rising actors coming in and reminding us what it’s all about. Overall Out of Gas… is a love story about those that have missed out on love and of those to whom money has always been a band-aid over a gaping wound. Challenging, moving, touching and tragic this is one of the highlights of the theatrical year so far – fill up the tank and see it.
4 stars out of 5
Out of Gas On Lover’s Leap
Written by Mark St. German
Direcrted by Ryan A. Murphy
Arielle Thomas & Nicholas Denton
A Patch Adams Production
Gasworks, Corner Graham Street & Pickles Street, Albert Park
Wednesday- Saturday (4 performances only!) 8.00pm
Saturday @ 2.00pm
20-23 November 2013
Bookings: http://www.gasworks.org.au/events/out-of-gas-on-lovers-leap
