Review: THE GOAT OR WHO IS SYLVIA at Little Theatre, University Of Adelaide

Reviewed by Petra Schulenburg, Saturday 4th August 2018.

The Goat or Who is Sylvia, by Edward Albee, is the latest play to be produced by the Adelaide University Theatre Guild in this, its 80th anniversary year. A razor sharp comedy/tragedy, the play is about love and loss, the limits of our tolerance and, indeed, who we really are.

Imagine being at the pinnacle of your career, a highly respected, award-winning professional with a loving, stable family. Then imagine that you are keeping a secret so unspeakable to society that in a moment, with a few short words, you irreparably shatter everything you value, everything that the world believed about you to be true.

Reminiscent of an ancient Greek tragedy, the hero, Martin, at the height of his happiness, complacent in his smooth fortunate life, undergoes a sudden reversal of fortunes. Indeed, once he confesses his inconceivable affair to his best friend Ross, his fate is no longer his own.

Actor, Gary George, gives a wonderful performance as Martin, clearly conveying the struggles of a conflicted man who knows that what he feels and has been doing is abhorrent to society, to his friends, and his family, and yet feels so right to him, an epiphany from which he cannot walk away although it will cost him everything.

His best friend, Ross, adeptly played by Peter Davies, takes the place of the Greek chorus, representing the vox populi, and sets the wheels of tragedy in motion when he tells Martin's secret to the world. Davies, as Ross, illustrates all the prejudices and narrow-mindedness of society's view on sexuality and public image. As a man, it is quite alright to have affairs, but keep it within our own species and, above all, don't get caught.

Naturally, the greatest impact of Martin's actions is on his family and his, until now, loving and fulfilling marriage. Albee's characterisation of the wife, Stevie, is extremely well-drawn and nuanced, and Rachel Burfield gives an extraordinary performance that finds every moment of strength, humour, love, and anguish as she seeks to understand what her beloved husband has done, and why.

By the time she has elicited every last detail from Martin their lives, and their lounge room, lie in ruins. Their son Billy, played by Benjamin Quirk, can only look on helplessly, torn between his love for both parents and his horror at his father's actions.

Director, Matt Houston, keeps the action moving while still giving each actor space and focus to explore the arc of their journey.

By juxtaposing every moment of comedy delicately, as well as outrageously, against the tensions of the unfolding tragedy, the genius of Albee's play is that it manages to make the audience by turns screech with laughter and squirm uncomfortably as we confront our prejudices and flawed humanity. This is what good theatre should do, challenge as well as entertain, and the latest offering from Theatre Guild delivers both.

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