Image : Splendour, Red Stitch Theatre.
Multi award winning writer Abi Morgan certainly shows her flair for dark irony in her latest play ‘Splendour’. Set in the house of a brutal dictator prior to his overthrow, the title refers to the grand lifestyle he and his family are about to have stripped from them as revolution looms. Given the heavy, bordering on oppressive, tone director Jenny Kemp maintains throughout, the title is such a playful contrast it almost comes across as self-depreciating.
Don’t let Morgan’s television and film credits fool you, this is ​theatre make no mistake. Poetic and dark with quasi Brechtian flourishes and a playful structure, ​the play explores the dynamic between four women. Each one, from the self-deluding First Lady (by the name of Micheleine) to the disinterested – almost apathetic – western photographer who’s seen it all, find themselves without answers or solutions. They can only accept the inevitable. It’s a story filled with ambition, but unfortunately one the company can not pull off.
The cast inject Morgan’s text with energy and intelligence which, while compelling, often feels weighed down by heavy handed direction. Each actor gives a performance that seems less passionate and instead like they’re working too hard. The resulting play sometimes feels like a slog rather than sobering, save for a few moments of humour here and there.
Lead, Belinda McClory, gives a multifaceted portrayal of the doomed Micheleine and is given strong support from Olivia Monticciolo as a kleptomaniac interpreter with a secret. Both actresses prove stand outs in a production lacking spontaneity. Technical elements are superb, with Romanie Harper’s set of a large mirror flanking the upstage wall, to windows back lit by red light suggest a majestic but modern palace. Sound design by Russell Goldsmith is subtle but menacing, providing a never ending sense of dread.
Although ‘Splendour’ is never quite as splendid as Red Stitch acolytes (like myself) know they are capable of producing, it is nevertheless enthralling in it’s ideas and provides enough theatricality to challenge a discerning audience. Is it the gut punch it aims to be? No, but it’s close.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Splendour
By Abi Morgan
Director: Jenny Kemp
Designer: Romanie Harper
Lighting Designer: Rachel Burke
Sound Designer: Russell Goldsmith
Cast: Rosie Lockhart, Olga Makeeva, Belinda McClory & Olivia Monticciolo
15 March – 16 April 2016
Red Stitch Actors Theatre
Rear 2 Chapel Street
St Kilda East, Vic 3183
