Reviewed Friday 30th May 2014
Galleon Theatre Group presented the South Australian premiere of
Stephen Metcalfe's
Loves and Hours, under the seasoned direction of Erik Strauts. With a long string of short scenes, a cast of ten with some role doubling, and the action taking place over numerous locations, Strauts set himself quite a challenge. By filling his cast with highly experienced and talented people, and enlisting Julia Morris to come up with a smart, minimalist set, cleverly lit by Luke Budgen and Warren McKenzie, he neatly avoids any nasty pitfalls. He also shows that he knows that the secret of comedy is to aim for realistic characters and situations from which the comedy arises naturally, rather than trying to push for laughs.
Dan Tilney is the best man at his friend Harold Schwabb's wedding to Andrea, a young woman half his age, causing Dan to begin his series of thoughts, comments, and observations, delivered directly to the audience. Dan's own marriage has collapsed, with his ex-wife, Linda, having announced that she is a lesbian. Their daughter, Rebecca, a doctor, is not impressed and is estranged from her mother. Their son, Dan Jr., is still at home with his father but due to go away to college, which will leave Dan alone. Although he insists that he is fine, those around him insist that he needs to get out more, and to find a woman to share his life.
Dan is to be audited by the Internal Revenue Service and fronts up to find that the auditor is
Charlotte Walker, who happened to be one year behind his daughter at school and who sings with a band. To his surprise she is attracted to him and they become lovers, something of an irony as he had criticised Harold for his mid life crisis and marriage to Andrea. Things get even more complicated when Rebecca announces that she is in love with an older man, and then Dan Jr. is discovered to be having an affair with an older woman and, worse still, a married older woman, their neighbour Sara Houghton, who feels neglected by her husband, Tom, who seems to be always away from home. Dan has only one person to turn to, his lifelong friend, and Harold's sister, Julia Schwabb. Poor Dan, though, as this, too, complicates his life even further as it turns out that she has always been in love with him since they were at school, and he never realised.
Andrew Horwood is simply outstanding in the central role of Dan, initially still shell shocked at the end of his marriage, and insisting that he is happy being alone, a defence mechanism against being hurt again. Horwood takes us from this pint through a plethora of emotion reactions to the situations that keep assaulting him: amused, bemused, confused, a short period of happiness with Charlotte, and at a complete loss when he finds out about what his children have been up to. Horwood provides a rock solid hub around which the action revolves and engages in a whole range of different relationships with Dan's family and friends.
Bronwyn Ruciak brings a wealth of experience to the role of Linda, Dan's ex-wife, while Megan Langford plays their daughter, Rebecca, who has not forgiven Linda for breaking up the family and forming a relationship with another woman. Linda's relationship with Dan is cordial, even if he still does not quite understand what on earth happened, and Ruciak's characterisation is sympathetic to his distress and she deals gently with him. Conversely, she shows deep sadness at the loss of contact with Rebecca. There are some loovely moments when they are finally reconciled.
John Koch and Laura Antioniazzi play Harold and Andrea, his child bride, or trophy wife, depending on your point of view. Koch's Harold is desperately trying to recapture his lost youth through his young wife, but soon feels his age as he attempts to keep up with her lifestyle, attending clubs at night and, of course, her physical demands. Antioniazzi's Andrea is an energetic and vibrant 24 year old, and far too much for an out of condition 48 year old husband to cope with. The two have a great rapport and get plenty of laughs out of the rapidly deteriorating situation.
Adam Dalby does a fine job of the detached, almost disinterested husband, Tom, giving plenty for Sharon Pitardi to react to as his wife, Sarah, his indifference giving rise to her well displayed feeling of neglect and frustration at the lack of tender human contact. this, in turn, gives a convincing reason for her reaction to the advances of Dan Jnr., played sensitively by Simon Lancione. These two create a powerful eroticism between them, displaying a level of real feeling that grows from their initial encounter.
Rosie Williams gives us a lively and charismatic Charlotte, smart and witty as well as young and attractive, explaining Dan's initial attraction to her and the growth of their ongoing relationship, beyond simple lust into a warm closeness. Shelley Hampton, as Julia, is well balanced against Horwood, giving an easiness to their interactions that makes it very clear that their characters have a long history of friendship, and they show subtle changes as that friendship changes and develops into something far stronger.
There are conflicts and resolutions galore, exploring a whole range of relationships and attitudes, and a good number of poignant moments, which all makes this a rich comedy with depth and complexity rather than the superficial comedies that are so prevalent. Galleon have a history of quality productions and this is another feather in their cap.
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