MIDSUMMER (A PLAY WITH SONGS)
International highlight of Sydney Theatre Company’s Main Stage season is Midsummer (a play with songs), a highly acclaimed production from Edinburgh’s renowned Traverse Theatre Company, which follows two 30-somethings with a pile of cash who are brought together in a one-night stand one rainy midsummer weekend in Edinburgh.
According to charming actor Matthew Pidgeon, who plays petty criminal Bob, the play itself is like a giant hangover, complimented by the captivating and quirky music with titles like The Hangover Song. “It’s kind of funny, it’s kind of romantic,” he says. “But it’s more than that. It’s got an edge to it. It’s almost a love letter to Edinburgh as well … ”
The production is a collaborative effort by Pidgeon and co-actor Cora Bissett, director David Grieg, and Gordon McIntyre from Scottish cult indie-folk band Ballboy, one reason alone for people to flock to performances as they have been doing since the play was a hit at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2009.
Pidgeon says the piece hasn’t been altered since its debut, but as the collaborators have changed the production has deepened and darkened. “A lot of people come to a time in their lives when they’re suck, they can’t change. And it’s about change,” he says.
“There’s a lot of drinking, there’s a lot of sex,” Pidgeon laughs. As the songs foretell, audiences will relate to the story of two loners wondering where their lives went wrong, looking for connection and mutual consolation.
Asked why Midsummer has been so successful everywhere it has toured, including Ireland and the US, Pidgeon says it’s hard to tell. “But the audience seem very pumped by it. They come out with smiles on their faces. There are people high-fiving me as they walk out.”
Whether it is the naked emotion, the endearing Scottish humour or its sweet message of hope, Midsummer is sure to be just as pleasurable a ride for the audience as it has been for its creators.
Feb 6-Mar 10, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, $45-90, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au
BY MARILYN HETRELES
