Standstill
There’s a lot to like about this play. Standstill is a smart, funny and cynical take on the modern belief that enough is never enough.
Overview
I love plays with a back story. The inspiration for Standstill came from a comment writer/director Anders Falstie-Jensen’s dad made to him several years ago. The gist of it was that in order to be happy he thought people needed to adjust their expectations to align with their skill set. Revolutionary it is not but it’s a theme that provides ample room to parody individuals desperately seeking self-fulfillment (along with the perfect body and a boat).
In front of heavy black curtains, the only props on stage are the treadmills, which the three actors use to walk, run and crawl towards their goal for perfection. Someone forgot to tell the characters they portray (and the world) however, that for most of us our ambitions will only be achievable if we dream moderate and not big.
We get to know the characters by way of short sketches. This technique could easily become bitsy and difficult to follow but the quick-witted and clever script coupled with solid performances by actors Andi Crown, Kevin Keys and Josephine Stewart Tewhiu make it work. Special mention must also go to lighting designer Rob McDonald whose use of lighting enables the actors to seamlessly switch between scenes.
The world created by the Rebel Alliance’s Anders Falstie-Jensen is full of old ball characters, from an Aussie tour guide, to a world champion cyclist and a creepy stalker nurse. Then there are the three factory workers, who work the conveyor belts (treadmills) and fear the unknown. Their only concern is getting through the working day without being banished to the horrors that lie in dispatch. The stand out character though has to be the metaphor-crazed self help guru, performed by Stewart Tewhiu in all her power speak glory.
There’s a lot to like about this play. Standstill is a smart, funny and cynical take on the modern belief that enough is never enough.
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