Overview
"I woke up this morning with an unquenchable thirst, I'd been dreaming all night about lemonade." Parlour Song by Jez Butterworth is a play about the unquenchable thirst of the affluent West. Our endless jog on the hamster wheel of consumption, of attaining immeasurable amounts of material nonsense to no real satisfactory end. Trapped in the vortex of the suburban dream, or nightmare in this instance, three strange and lonely figures navigate this oppressive space with very few of their marbles intact.
This week I had the pleasure of stalking Belvoir's Company B headquarters to catch up with the boys behind two of Butterworth's kooky characters, Dale and Ned. Matt Dyktynski and Drew Fairley are somewhat young veterans of the theatre scene, having worked extensively in Australia and internationally for over 15 years. I interrupted their lunch break to discuss life as actors, their latest project and the social ideals that have us all questioning our place in the world.
So, opening night on Friday, are you prepared?
Matt: Ooooh, to say that would be tempting fate …
Drew: This play doesn't really operate like a normal play. It operates almost entirely in subtext so we have to prepare "in the land of invisibility" – there's no map.
M: He's been waiting to say that for 4 weeks!
D: This one has an undercurrent. To be the characters we have to understand the base feeling for everything that they do.
You've both worked in the theatre for many years, what drew you to Parlour Song and these particular characters?
D (who plays Ned): The play uses writing very effectively. It's entertaining even though it's about people at their most fragile. It feels to me that Butterworth writes at an almost subterranean level. There's some sort of strange hum in the play that you almost can't hear. He's got an amazing ability to create atmosphere and a different world to our own. I suppose we all have our issues but these people are totally not talking about what's going on in their lives – they don't have that language, but you get all the information you need through what they don't say.
Do you find that difficult as actors, to work with what's between the lines and to imbue that space with all of these dimensions and rich layers of content?
M: Sometimes, yes. And to be made aware of it is a death sentence. When you're aware that there's a silence you're like (diva voice) "oh my god this moment is so charged!"
A review in the UK Guardian said of Jez Butterworth's writing said that he "exactly captures the mundane madness beneath the bland routine of affluence". Does this ring true?
D: Absolutely. It captures what I'd imagine most people's lives to be like. Few people live enormously passionately. We've created so much convenience and so much comfort – food, housing, etc. I mean imagine something like the French Revolution happening in Sydney? We just don't think that way. We've really been made as deaf as possible and that's really what the play is about.
M: I guess the difference is that the opiate people have been given is a lifestyle that they have been made to believe they want. There's nothing to rebel against.
And can you personally identify with these characters?
M: Yeah I totally relate. I grew up in the 'burbs. I don't own my own home and I would love to have a space that's my own, there's a lot to be said for it. It's a completely legitimate aspiration as long as you're careful not to lose what it means to be human, and remember that you're a sentient being.
D: I found myself last year thinking, I'd really like to get a new fridge. Nothing wrong with the one I had, I just wanted one of those big gigantic metal ones. But then I thought, it just keeps things cold, what other skills does it have? It cant be better it's just a fridge! I really battled with that.
What was it like working with director, Christabel Sved?
M & D: Terrible.
D: She is, well, drunk, mostly. A lot of drunkenness (laughs). No, the opposite is true. She's very thorough. Not a moment is lost in getting somewhere and you feel like everything's kind of (pauses) possible.
You've both written and directed your own stuff, how hard is it to hand over the directorial reigns?
M: I think it's important to know your place. I would never jump in and start directing … and everything I've touched has been an absolute disaster so it's best I don't do that (laughs). But I wont sit there and shy away from giving my opinion.
So how do you handle criticism?
D: Well luckily I've had a perfect career.
That's what I thought.
M: I'm terrible. A bad review will eat away at me and it doesn't matter how many good ones I get.
D: Oh no, they don't count. And bad reviews are more specific. But as an actor you have to deal with having a shocker all the time, you have to be good at bounce back. And if you're not you're sort of stuffed. When you're putting on a show it's out in the public arena, people pay money to see you and if they hate it it's absolutely their right.
You've both done stand up comedy…
M: Yep, I still do
How the hell do you manage that then? To me, that would be the ultimate vulnerable space.
M: With theatre you never really know if the reviews are right or not, even if they're saying good things. With standup, if people are laughing you know you've done well, its cut and dry, and that's what I love about it.
So after all these years do you still get nervous and how do you overcome it? Mediation, tequila shots…?
M: Both.
D: Great ideas, I'm gonna try them out for this show. One thing that always happens, and I'm sure there's a physiological reason for this, but I get really itchy gums.
M: Didn't Michael Flatley need sex like an hour after he came off stage?
D: I thought it was before. He is the most hideous human being.
Yeah, he was really the Andre Rieu of the '90s.
M: That's exactly who he was! Wasn't Andre Rieu on Neighbours recently … ?
D: Parlour Song's a bit like Ramsey Street really.
M: I guess it's about being isolated. In getting the big houses and things and space by moving further and further out of the city you actually end up on your own, or with just your partner, and that puts a lot of strain on people. There's nothing to deflect.
Lastly, what advice would you give young people mad enough to want to do what you do?
D: If you're auditioning for drama school at an open audition and someone says can I have someone in the scene, jump in there and out act them! And if you're young and attractive, don't be afraid of being young and attractive and get as many jobs as possible. If you're gonna get $20,000 to sell a dog shampoo, go for it. Don't be afraid of money!
M: Ultimately, it's a wonderful life.
Better off than the guys in Parlour Song, right?
M & D: Exactly! At least we're not the guys from Parlour Song!
Parlour Song opens tonight at Belvoir Dowstairs and runs 'til June 6.