THEATRE: THAT FACE
Playwright Polly Stenham is open about her influences, “The plays I was reading before I wrote That Face were Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Streetcar Named Desire. It’s, like, just practically ripped off, you know?” And after seeing the recent remake of That Face at Belvoir Upstairs, you do know. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing; at least she borrows from the best. And in turn they have borrowed from a long line of mythical, ‘mother the monster’. In That Face, the mother in question is Martha (hello, Albee!), a booze-addled hedonist played to perfection by Susie Porter. She is locked into a mutually-destructive relationship of dependency with her doting son, Henry (newcomer Kenji Fitzgerald), which at times strays into squeamish lasciviousness. Their damaged world is exposed when daughter Mia (Emily Barclay) begins channelling her mother’s violent behaviour at her boarding school, resulting in an expulsion. Absentee Daddy Hugh (Marcus Graham) comes back from Family #2 to save the day – but instead only fails at saving face. A clarion call to those who value cash and social cache over meaningful connections, this is a damning portrayal of the repercussions of generational neglect and role reversals. At first you will be a little uncomfortable with all the melodrama, but as the action crescendos you will become increasingly captivated – after all, who can resist a car crash? Funnily enough, it is always the ‘monster’ you end up most identifying with – as at least in the end they seem alive, if wounded.
Until Mar 14, Belvoir St Upstairs, 25 Belvoir St Surry Hills, $35-57, 9699 3444 or belvoir.com.au
