Review: Andrew Upton's Adaptation of A FLEA IN HER EAR Is A Fabulously Fun Farce

Wednesday 9th November 2016, 8pm, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Georges Feydeau's early 20th Century French farce is given further complexity in Andrew Upton's adaptation of A FLEA IN HER EAR. Under the Simon Phillips direction, Sydney Theatre Company presents a hilariously delicious layered confection of cotton candy stickiness and fluff.

Designer Gabriela Tylesova has created a beautiful space for Feydeau's characters to inhabit. Drawing on the original time period of the Belle Epoque, Tylesova has balanced the need for space for the physicality that ensues and the Art Nouveau adornment. The expansive drawing room contains delicate furniture and features dramatic double doors within wallpapered walls that reach up to the sky in curls and flourishes giving the impression of opulent high ceilings. Whilst this opening scene is beautiful, it is when the inhabitants travel to the seedy Snatch Time Hotel that the audience gets to fully experience Tylesova's genius in her expression of time, travel and the madness that the characters find themselves in. The dodgy hotel that rents by the hour with very few guests sleeping in the beds is artfully created with echoes of the Chandebises' house and brings in more opportunities to use the space and adds vertical variety with a staircase to the upper rooms.

Fittingly, the characters carry on the image of grandeur and a household of significant wealth and success. The central women, Raymonde Chandebise (Harriet Dyer) and Lucienne Homenides De Histangua (Helen Christienson) are in the extravagant full skirted gowns, adorned with lace, applique and frills. Lucienne's dress is a striking red and gold, in keeping with the passion of her Spanish husband, while Raymonde is in a pastel gown adorned with flowers. The gentlemen of the story are in three piece suits, with fabrics and styles indicating their different stations from Doctor Finache's (Sean O'Shea) browns, Etienne's (Leon Ford) butler blacks and Camille Chandebise's (Harry Greenwood) subdued blue suit marking him as part of the same circles as his uncle Victor but more of a wallflower due to his speech impediment.

Upton's adaptation sees some character changes and making the purpose of the hotel where all the trouble unfolds more evident through a name change but his greatest variation lies with the increase in doubling of actors. Where as Feydeau had Victor Emmanuel Chandebise (David Woods) be a splitting image of the hotel's porter Poche (David Woods), Upton has doubled a further 5 characters, some of which the resemblance is commented on whilst others go unacknowledged. In making the story even more complex, he also draws the two worlds together with the prospect of the Chandebise's butler Etienne having a twin sister. There is also fabulous element of recognition that the performers know they are in a play, poking fun at the notion of sitting through a play and the madness that can be squeezed into two hours.

Phillips has balanced the in-your-face farcical physicality seen in British comedy with the subtlety of the French farce beautifully. He has created a tight performance which the cast execute with precision timing to land blows, falls and lines to maximum advantage. There is a wonderful physicality to the work with a number of recognisable gags used in popular physical comedy to ensure that even if some of the quick witted dialogue missed the listener, the actions echo the sentiment. He has layered Steve Toulmin's (Composer and Sound Designer) music over the work to convey lightness and movement or moments of suspense and mystery which is reinforced by Nick Schlieper's lighting.

As the scheming lady of the house, unsatisfied with her perfect life and wanting to find fault, Harriet Dyer is fabulous as Raymonde Chandebise. She conveys the air of pomposity with the expectation that she should be adored and attended to faithfully by her husband whilst she in turn takes a lover. Paired with Helen Christinson as Lucienne Homenides De Histangua, Raymonde's best friend, the two embody the idle rich that have nothing more to do than plot and ensnare as Raymonde gets it in her mind that her husband Victor Emmanuel Chandebise (David Woods) is having an at the disreputable Snatch Time Hotel.

As the accused Victor Emmanuel Chandebise, and his doppleganger, drunk porter Poche, David Woods is hilarious. He creates a wonderful contrast between the two characters that makes it obvious to the audience and therefore more ridiculous that the rest of the characters can't tell the difference between them. He infuses each with their own characteristic physicality and speech patterns and tones, as upper class, devoted husband Victor and ex military drunkard Poche.

Justin Smith gives the hot blooded, hot tempered Spaniard Carlos Homenides De Histangua an absurdity as he battles with language barriers and contrasts this with the oily hotelier August. He has a bold physicality and a pace and power that ensures that he comes across as fiery and quick to irrational reaction whilst softening into August, smitten with the big boned Olympe (Leon Ford) and attempting to run his hotel with a militaristic order despite its chaos.

As Victor's nephew Camille Chandebise, Harry Greenwood is outstanding as the awkward young man who suffers a speech impediment when he loses his silver palate which renders him understandable again. He exudes the frustration at the pathetic situation where he is constantly dismissed as being too difficult to try to understand whilst he holds vital information that could avoid much of the conflict. Greenwood ensures Camille is endearing and makes sure it is plausible that housekeeper/cook Antoinette (Kelly Paterniti) would be interested in him.

This is a wonderfully multilayered story of manipulation, deceit, arrogance and ignorance with a good dose of smut as the relationships cross over like a spider's web which has people running all over the place chasing each other for a multitude of reasons. A entertaining feast for the senses which doesn't require the viewer to think too much, just sit back and be entertained and amused. A FLEA IN HER EAR is a perfect escape from the rigours of the real world and a diversion from the more serious plays that can tend to sap energy, as indicated by the repeated notes of sympathy towards any character that mentions they have been to a play.

A FLEA IN HER EAR

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

31st October - 17th December 2016