BWW Reviews: THE SUM OF US Makes Australian Premiere

 

Originally opening Off-Broadway in 1990, David Steven's play The Sum of Us had its Australian Premiere in Melbourne this week. The play centers around the father-son relationship of Harry (John Jarratt) and Jeff (Patrick Harvey) and their parallel search for love. What makes this relationship so refreshing is widower Harry's overwhelming acceptance of Jeff's homosexuality and his intrigue into the sexual life that Jeff leads. From the beginning of Act 1 the relationship between the characters is so refreshingly natural and humorous that there is a beautiful mix of humor and poignance to keep the action moving at a frivolous pace.

An interesting technique employed throughout the play is the breaking of the fourth wall with Harry and Jeff delivering dialogue directly to the audience. This personalizes the characters and endears them to the audience, giving us an insight into their vulnerabilities and struggles.

Jarratt, as Harry, embodies the characters true charm, wit and general likeableness. His performance was overtly naturalistic and conveyed the true sense of the down to earth Australian man. While he had a few minor slips in dialogue, Jarratt's comic timing was impeccable and displayed the skill of an Australian theatre veteran. It's not just these features that create a fine performance from Jarratt, It's his ability to effectively transfer from Jeff's happy-go-lucky nature in Act I to the heartache and turmoil his character experiences through Act II. Patrick Harvey as Jeff perfectly captures the characters desperation to be loved and the struggle of living through the complications of his homosexual world. Both of the central characters live in a parallel world of loneliness and search for love.

Enter supporting characters Greg (Glenn Van Oosterom) and Joyce (Nell Feeney) as the love interests of Jeff and Harry. Both relationships start promisingly only to end because of their own complications. Van Oosterom's Greg is a real highlight in the play. The awkwardness that he is confronted with when first meeting Harry is portrayed eloquently as is his hasty exit from his relationship with Jeff. Feeney, delivers a slightly forced, presentational performance that grates against the naturalistic interpretationas around her.

With limited set and costume changes, the play relies on the text and its delivery. Occasionally the dialogue is cliche, and eventually being spoken to becomes monotonous with the action seemingly needing to continue between the characters directly. There is however, such a unique bond between Harry and Jeff and the love and nurture they display for each other is truly human and is the essence of the play. As Harry says 'There could be nothing worse than forgetting how to love.' The full circle of being cared for and then ultimately having to care for a parent is on display at its rawest in this piece and is particularly moving. Ultimately the lasting impression that we are left with is that we are the product of our upbringing, and leaves us looking at the similarities between us and our own parents. Harry expresses that 'our children are the sum of us.' This one line succinctly outlines the core of the play, which at 2 hours 25 takes too long to eventually get to this sentiment.

The Sum of Us is touring around Australia for the remainder of 2011.

 

 

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