Mercury Poisoning – REVIEW
Image: Violette Ayad as Valeria in MERCURY POISONING at KXT on Broadway. Photo by Clare Hawley
Take the space race, the military apparatus, a hit science fiction series and plenty of female chutzpa and that only goes halfway to describe the themes of Kings Cross Theatre’s new staging of Mercury Poisoning from Snatched and Whitebox.
The cast of twelve are barely enough, as some play up to five characters each as they encompass the two sides of the Cold War’s race to put the first human into space.
The play opens with the launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, which begins the space race. This provides the central thread of Mercury Poisoning, as we home in on the lives of two women who are on opposing sides of the contest and have different outcomes.
The new frontiers opening in space are also reflected in terrestrial changes in domesticity and race relations and it is these as much as the space race that come onto play in Mercury Poisoning.
Another thread opens when an actor becomes the first black character in a sci-fi TV series. She doubts her talent and the importance of her breaking the race barrier in the ‘60s, until she is confronted by an old friend and musician.
Big themes indeed.
Mercury Poisoning is the ambitious debut by playwright Madeleine Stedman, and while not always successful, it is mammoth in its scope, tackling issues that shook up the world and laid the pathway to present times — not always with much progress in those issues.
Director Kim Hardwick does a commendable job in keeping the pacing fast and tight with rapidly changing scenes and flowing entrances and exits onto the tiny stage area.
Ballet lifts show not only the physical adaptability of the cast, but are also an effective way to represent flight.
The KXT’s traverse stage makes for a great audience experience, putting the actors and the action at the centre, and Mercury Poisoning makes the most of this .
With no props, except for a telephone ,we are relying on the actors ability to interpret the text and convince us with their physicality and suggestions, which they do admirably.
Production design by Meg Anderson relies on the power of suggestion reinforced by costumes, lighting (Jim Rawlins) and sound (Rowan Yeomans and Jay Ray) plus a parachute suspended above the stage to convey the earth’s atmosphere and flight.
Credit must also be given to dialogue coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley as the cast easily go from various American accents to believable Russian-English accents, with Jack Richardson being a standout drunk cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin.
Shawnee Jones’ striking looks make her a convincing actress breaking the race barrier in a popular TV series, while Tinashe Mangwana excels as both a token black astronaut in training and the musician and friend who convinces Jones’ character that she is a role model for breaking racial stereotypes on television.
Brendan Miles as Randy is perfect casting for a post war male stereotype while Violette Ayad’s nuanced approach to multiple roles is a treat to witness.
The other cast members: Teodora Matovic, Sarah Jane Starr, Charlotte Saluzsinsky, Jack Richardson, Melissa Jones, Shaw Cameron and Anna Clark are all equally matched and bring much colour and depth to their myriad roles.
Producer Tahlee Leeson is to be congratulated for keeping all of this on track and it is a pleasure to see so much new talent mixing it with seasoned performers playing off each other so well on the stage.
