REVIEW: WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Is A Madcap Musical About Love And Obsession

The mental health risk of misguided love plays out in the crazy comedy of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. David Yazbek (music and lyrics) and Jeffrey Lane (book)  gave Pedro Almodovar’s 1988 film of the same name the musical theatre treatment in 2010 resulting in a madcap merging of Spanish inspired music and farcical comedy with an 1980’s aesthetic which is all right is director Alexander Berlage’s wheelhouse.

Set in Spain in 1987, the premise of the work is that lothario Ivan (Andrew Cutcliffe) has just dumped his long-time lover and colleague Pepa (Amy Hack) with a phone message.  As she goes about her work as an actress and singer, due to record with Ivan, she’s ‘haunted’ by memories of her missing lover who, despite the cowardly way he ended their relationship, still sees him as irresistible leading to a dogged determination to track him down but she soon learns that she’s not the only one who wants to find him. Ivan’s ex-wife Lucia (Tisha Kelemen) has never gotten over Ivan leaving her after the birth of their son Carlos (Thomas Kantor) and she stalks his apartment but when she discovers Pepa also trying to find him so she shifts her focus in the belief that Pepa will know where he is, leading to some even more absurd plotlines.  In addition to Ivan’s trail of mental health damage, Pepa’s Best Friend Candela (Grace Driscoll) is also dealing with her own romance induce anxiety, as is Carlos’ fiancé Marisa (Nina Carcione) as she deals with a mama’s boy who is also exhibiting his father’s tendencies for wandering eyes. 

While the storyline traverses various parts of Madrid, from the recording studio where Pepa works, to a cab, the home Lucia shares with Carlos, and a legal court, Hailley Hunt’s set design centres the work on Pepa’s eclectic apartment with surtitles explaining other locations with amusing additional quips.  Phoebe Pilcher’s lighting design helps to shift the space and assists in presenting the ladies memories of Ivan as a distorted romanticised view of the cad which further fuels their obsessive actions.  Sam Hernandez’s costume design sits the work neatly in the 1980’s with Pepa in a tailored black suit with simple but striking coloured detail while her Best Friend, model Candela wears Betsy Johnson style ruffles and bold patterns.    

With the work retaining its Spanish setting, this work draws on Latin beats and the songs are delivered with heavy accents.  This choice to lean into the accents with the fast tempo does however lead to the detail of the lyrics being lost, particularly when Director Alexander Berlage chooses to present action behind a red semi-opaque curtain making it harder to see the performers faces.  This clarity of the lyrics is also affected by the sound balance where the instrumental can overpower the vocals. 

As the central character of Pepa, Amy Hack demonstrates a strong comic sensibility, both physically and in the timing of her lines to present a woman whose life is suddenly upended with a balance of the absurd and the possible.  Her vocals are strong and as clear as can be given the addition of the accent and Yazbek’s fast lyrics.  As Ivan’s other former love, his ex-wife Lucia, Tisha Kelemen delivers a strong performance that shows a woman who still struggles with mental health issues following being abandoned 20 years prior, after Ivan’s son Carlos was born.  She expresses a more developed obsession and control while providing the warning voice of one who knows the fate that may befall Pepa and any other woman that allows themselves to fall in love with an unsuitable partner.  As Pepa’s Best Friend, the ditzy model Candela, Grace Driscoll brings a delightfully bright energy to the woman who is currently obsessing over her latest love.  She infuses a great physical comedy to the character who relies on her looks rather than her brains. 

While trivialising mental health to a large degree, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN is an entertaining warning to stay away from men, particularly those with wandering eyes and silver tongues.  Farcical comedy with physical humour that enhances the absurdity of the storylines, this work is an amusing escape while holding a relatable underlying message. 

https://hayestheatre.com.au/

Photos: Daniel Boud

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