THEATRE: DON JUAN IN SOHO
Are you, “unhaveable and fuckable” or, “haveable and unfuckable”? The aging Don Juan (DJ) in Soho is a self-proclaimed creature of the former label. His one-track mind is reminiscent of Two and a Half Men’s Charlie Sheen and his mannerisms flaunt a lordly flamboyance à la Stewie from Family Guy. Clearly an unlikeable character from the beginning, who leaves his new wife during their honeymoon for a romp with a Croatian model, DJ grows on you like that old pillow you should have thrown out eons ago. British playwright Patrick Marber’s (Closer, Notes on a Scandal) Don Juan in Soho is not as sharp or funny as his first play Dealer’s Choice which ended its run in Sydney two weeks ago. Based on Moliere’s 17th century classic, this contemporary version leaves you with a nagging feeling that lead actor Blair Cutting was imperfectly cast, especially when I can imagine the performance coming to life with the eccentric Rhys Ifans as the protagonist in the original version. The feeble delivery of moral messages renders the ending a tad too grim, which is an unexpected and unnecessary departure from the otherwise deliciously wanton tone of the play.
UntilSept 26, New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown, $22-28, 1300 306 776 or mca-tix.com.au
BY KOMI SELLATHURAI
