The Housewarming
Goodwood Theatre and Studios
Tuesday, April 28
Four years is
a long time not to see a friend; long enough for that friend to change quite a bit. So when
Steph (Emelia Williams) tells her old friend Phoebe (Virginia Blackwell) that
she’s changed, she’s probably right. And sometimes it takes others to help us recognize
that change in ourselves. However, it’s the accusatory tone of Steph’s
statement that throws Phoebe off guard, and sets the tone for an awkward social
get together with these two old friends and their male companions. Phoebe has moved
in with Nick (Daniel Fryar-Calabro) - her new man, and Steph is now with Michael
(Chris Gun), an old flame of Phoebe’s.
It is immediately
obvious that this housewarming party is going to be a fraught affair. These four quite different characters don’t
exactly warm to each other, and they are all quite willing to express opinions
that challenge the others. Add rocky relationships and truth serum (alcohol) to
the mix and things get really interesting.
We have all
found ourselves in social situations we don’t enjoy. Faced with opinions and values
quite different from your own world view you need to find a way to behave with
decorum. Most of us have been in relationships
where we’re not quite sure if s/he is the one but we present publicly as if it’s
rock solid, as if s/he is the one. This is where our housewarming guests find themselves.
Virginia
Blackwell does a great job as Phoebe. Poor Phoebe is desperate for the party to
be a success – she needs validation on so many levels, including her Instagram
followers. Fryar-Calabro’s Nick is quite scary. He’s a tightly wound ball of insecure
nervous energy that you feel could go off at any moment. And does. Hapless
Michael is doing his Ph.D but struggles with alcohol and a lack of self-esteem,
and dowdy Steph is sitting on a secret she has trouble sharing.
It’s an entertaining
mix. Traverse seating means the audience is close to the action; right there at
the party. It was tempting to get involved! The four characters capably play
out a realistic scenario that reminds us of awkward situations we’ve all experienced
in our own lives. Dialogue is rich and varied and punctuated with a good many natural
pauses that add an authentic feel to the interactions.
Outbursts
of sudden anger sometimes made it difficult to hear what was being said. And there
didn’t appear to be any degrees of anger – it would go from calm to explosive
with nowhere in between.
An
enjoyable show. Loved the fact that it’s Adelaide based – “do you want to be a
Burnside mum before you’re 30?”
Written and directed by James Watson.
