Drake the Amazing + La Dispute

Overview

The first of the two plays from acclaimed LA playwright Andy Hyman on the double bill at the Darlinghurst Theatre, Drake the Amazing, takes us back to the golden age of performance, to a time before 3-D movies, computer games and on-demand TV. This is the story of Alden Drake (Scott Sheridan), a talented but somewhat feckless monologist, who shines for one night only, with an explosive performance inspired by his love for the unforgiving Claudette (Kate Skinner), assistant to the show's hard-nosed impresario, Mr Nielson (Nicholas Papademetriou).

The play evokes a long-forgotten era, the heyday of American vaudeville theatre and a time when people were still moved by the magic of live entertainment. With just a simple set, consisting of plush red curtains, and with luggage trunks as the only props, the actors' enchanting performances allow us to suspend disbelief and be carried away by this simple tale of love. It is funny, moving and nostalgic in equal measure, and all moved along by the catchy narration of Aster (Andrew Johnston).

The theme of innocence is taken up again by the second play, La Dispute, a rewriting of Marivaux's 18th-century tale of love and infidelity. A brother and sister (Ben Wood and Annaliese Szota) take their partners (Patrick Sherwood and Danielle Abi-Hanna) out for a night to remember: they are going to observe the climax of their father's sinister social experiment.

Initially repulsed, the partners soon find themselves increasingly fascinated by the spectacle unfolding before their eyes. The question to be answered: who cheated first, girls or boys? The mode of investigation: two boys and two girls, raised in isolation for 20 years, except for the care of a nanny Carise (Zoe Carides). They are released into the forest, where they will encounter each other for the first time. Manufactured so that that initially each boy and each girl meets just one other of the opposite sex, pairings form quickly between Egle (Stacey Duckworth) and Azor (Carl Batchelor) and between Adine (Polita Cameron) and Mesrin (Julian Curtis) respectively. However, their fidelity is tested almost immediately, as they are then forced to meet the others, one by one. Their innocence is both funny and touching, yet are they really innocent? Or rather, who is guilty? These questions are left essentially unanswered, but it is an absolute joy to watch the obvious pleasure these self-obsessed individuals take from seeing themselves reflected in others for the first time.

Though somewhat disparate in character from one another, these two plays nevertheless provide a thoroughly enjoyable and quirky exploration into the themes of love, innocence, betrayal and transformation. More importantly, they are a celebration of the joy of theatre.