SPEAKING IN TONGUES

Speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, is defined as the fluid vocalisation of an incomprehensible and unknown language. It has biblical connotations, that of accessing the higher truths, through a trance-like ecstasy, and is also often linked to schizophrenia. Crucially the thinking mind is absent, and the body is the one doing the talking.

In Kalgoorlie-born Andrew Bovell’s steamy, thicket-like tale of suburban adultery and murder, Speaking in Tongues, once again the bodies make the decisions and the result is at times tantalisingly incomprehensible. Fifteen years on since its debut on the same stage and ten years past its celluloid sibling Lantana made cinematic headlines, this production has Griffin Theatre Artistic Director Sam Strong at the helm in a sparse re-telling of this Australian noir gem. Two couples, Leon and Sonja, Pete and Jane, become entangled in a four-way betrayal. Tiny incidents dropped in the first act – a paranoid woman who verbally abuses Pete on the street; a lovelorn man in smart brogues; a suspicious neighbour – get picked up again in the second to clever effect. The language is simple, the motives seemingly physical (lust, violence, vanity), and yet you leave wondering if you have grasped all of this enigmatic 3D puzzle, speaking through these able-bodied actors of a higher truth about humanity. Chris Stollery in particular is a subtle standout as the cop-of-few-words, Leon, while Caroline Craig is convincing in both her roles as meek wife and unlikeable temptress.

There’s nothing showy about this production – there doesn’t need to be. It’s a story that is likely to resonate for years to come.

Until Mar 19, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $15-47, 8019 0292, griffintheatre.com.au