Paula Arundell (background), Eryn Jean Norvill, Paula Arundell (foreground) in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Suddenly Last Summer © Brett Boardman
The plays of Tennessee Williams have undergone something of a renaissance on the Sydney stage in recent years. The latest offering from Kip Williams and the Sydney Theatre Company sees Suddenly Last Summer given a cinematic makeover, complete with a stellar Australian cast.
Suddenly Last Summer opens with a stark set, bare save for a white projection screen. Mrs Violet Venable (Robyn Nevin) and Doctor Cukrowicz ( Mark Leonard Winter) enter, in the midst of an animated conversation about her late son, Sebastian, then step through a door into a lush garden from which the first 25 minutes of their interaction is projected onto the screen from one of three cameras filming them back stage. The reason for their meeting soon becomes apparent, as Violet launches into a vitriolic rant about the woman she believes was responsible for Sebastian’s death. The young woman in question, Catharine (Eryn Jean Norvill) is her niece by marriage.
Mrs Venable dangles the prospect of funding the doctor’s research into a new lobotomy procedure, but makes it clear that this is a likely option only if she has a personal interest in the project. Catharine is brought from the asylum her aunt has paid for to meet Doctor Cukrowicz and strives to tell him what really happened to Sebastian, while her mother, Mrs Holly (Susan Prior) and brother George (Brandon McClelland) attempt to pacify Venables. Tensions build to a climax as the risk to Catharine increases and she weaves her tale of violence, sexuality and lust.
The cast of Suddenly Last Summer all do a fantastic job of illustrating the richness of Williams’ characters. Their timing, especially when faced with the need to factor in live camera cues, is commendable. The addition of screens to provide three different close-up angles of Catharine at the time of maximum emotional turmoil is also a great tool to heighten the audience’s understanding of her condition. Indeed, Suddenly Last Summer is technically brilliant, but also a little too technically heavy.
AV consultant Shane Johnson, who was video-system designer on The Maids, has clearly recycled some of his techniques from that outing and some of the shots of characters walking backstage are tedious. The stunning set may have been better appreciated if seen in its entirety for the opening portion of the play, rather than through Williams’ directed camera views. Also borrowing from some of his past productions was composer Stefan Gregory, although the percussive sounds in the final scenes were well matched with the rising tensions.
Overuse of the projector as a means to direct the audience’s point of view is questionable. Theatre exists as a separate entitity from film not least of all because the audience are given the freedom to draw their own conclusions and view every aspect of the stage in front of them. Taking this freedom away through a technical spectacle poses a threat to the beauty of the art in its purest form for many. Despite the raucous reception on opening night, there are many theatregoers who may find the dominant elements of this play distracting and unnecessary.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Suddenly Last Summer
A Sydney Theatre Company production
By Tennessee Williams
Director: Kip Williams
Designer: Alice Babidge
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper
Composer & Sound Designer: Stefan Gregory
AV Consultant: Shane Johnson
Assistant Director: Harriet Gillies
Voice & Text Coach: Charmian Gradwell
Cast: Paula Arundell, Melita Jurisic, Brandon McClelland, Robyn Nevin, Eryn Jean Norvill, Susan Prior, Mark Leonard Winter
The Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
9 February to 21 March 2015
