THEATRE: PARLOUR SONG

With a piece of theatre written by Jez Butterworth (Mojo, Birthday Girl), directed by the deft Cristabel Sved (Dealing With Clair, The Beauty Queen of Leenane), and within the usually intimate and impressive B Sharp home of Downstairs Belvoir, it would be fair to have high expectations of Parlour Song. Even the subject matter sounds promising: in the carbon copy outskirts of suburbia a demolition expert (Drew Fairley) is going through a midlife crisis; he is losing his belongings, and possibly his mind. His wife Joy (Anna Lise Phillips) is similarly dissatisfied and so turns to next door neighbour Dale (Matt Dyktynski) to feel something ‘real’. Why then, are we left feeling as apathetic as the characters? Little flourishes like workout scenes shared by Dale and Ned with their Wii characters hovering behind, computerised voiceovers, and having Dale share duties as ignorant savant and omniscient narrator, do not coalesce into anything beyond just clever. It comes across like a cityslicker passing judgment on the everyday lives of those outside the centre; a cliché, sure, and it feels like one.

Until Jun 6, Belvoir St Downstairs, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills, $24-32, 9699 3444, belvoir.com.au