Good pub fare: a beer, a giggle, then a bleakly funny journey
HAPPY NEW
The Old Fitzroy, July 6
Reviewed by Stephen Dunne
(Palaver review clipped)
At the Old Fitzroy Brendan Cowell continues his love affair with the end-of-play-reveal, initially seen in his excellent first play Men.
Happy New is about two blokes in a room, with a woman who visits. There's much talk of the future and the past, and a lot of time obsessing with face creams. It's New Year's Eve, and the sounds of partying people outside contrast with the isolation within.
Plays like this are hard to review without giving away the ending. Cowell knows exactly what he's doing, as does director Leland Kean. The bleak story about these two brothers that eventually emerges is nasty - the opening music of syncopated chicken noises is a vital clue.
Cowell has a very distinctive textual voice, and his vivid metaphors and idiosyncratic descriptions work well, and only rarely feel like they're over-written.
This play is not as tight or neatly constructed as Men. The last 20 minutes could be cut in half, and the play has a surfeit of endings. There's also a thematic idea (media corruption of celebrity) that feels a little tacked on.
These minor faults don't detract from the show, a fascinating and bleakly funny journey through tragedy and despair. The acting is strong with Anthony Hayes and the author as the two brothers, and Blazey Best as the TV journalist Pru.
This new and good Australian play, and an excellent evening of pub satire, are reasons for cautious optimism about the possibilities of a good theatrical night out.
Palaver runs until July 26, Happy New until August 4.
This article was found at http://old.smh.com.au/news/0107/09/features/features14.html