SPEAKING IN TONGUES

“I am getting over my phase of wanting to punch Andrew Bovell,” says Chris Stollery of the mild-mannered South Australian farm-reared writer behind the celebrated play Speaking in Tongues, in which Stollery plays two parts. While director Sam Strong says Bovell’s writing, “Is so good you can sometimes forget how good it is,” its complexity, multiple cast roles and fractured narrative makes it a difficult one for an actor to tackle. Fifteen years on from its AWGIE-winning run on the same stage, and ten years after its AFI-nabbing transformation into the play Lantana, Speaking in Tongues is one of those rarities – an Australian classic that has gone the distance. Stollery explains, “It wasn’t a story about someone in the outback battling the red earth. It wasn’t a bunch of dopeheads in bogan suburbia. It was very much about how most Australians live. They were real people dealing with a real situation. It wasn’t condescending, or trying to copy some American style.” Following the interwoven infidelities of two couples, the disappearance of a woman, and a series of lost shoes, its dark undertones and noir feel made it a perfect vehicle for the big screen … and a huge international hit. Stollery tried to avoid the movie until he locked in his own performance, “You don’t want to be influenced by it,” he says, and he missed the 1996 staging – the closest he has got is a poker game with Geoff Morrell, who starred in the original production. Stollery is up-front about how hard the task at hand has been – while he may not want to hit Bovell anymore, throwing a glass may still be on the cards. That’s not say it’s not worth it. “It’s a thrilling experience. Cathartic, I guess. Everyone’s trying to figure out their relationships … fidelity, honesty, connecting with strangers. That’s what theatre is about – being in a room with everyone concentrating on one thing.”

Feb 10-Mar 19, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $28-47, 8019 0292, griffintheatre.com.au