DEFENSABILITY
Maidment Theatre - Musgrove Studio, Auckland
06/08/2013 - 10/08/2013
Production Details
Kelly Denton, a disabled man, proposes to his beautiful fiancée. She says yes. It’s the last good thing that will happen to him.
He is told by the government that he’s not disabled enough. His fiancée dumps him by text and when he attempts to drown his sorrows he sees her with her new man, Jared Owen – a top New Zealand Paralympian with great legs. With his government issued caregiver in tow Kelly decides to get revenge by taking Jared’s spot in the New Zealand Paralympic team.
When an ordinary disabled man loses his fiancée by text to a Paralympian he goes to extraordinary lengths to get revenge.
Contains offensive language
Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre
Tuesday 6th to Saturday 10th of August
All shows are at 7.30pm.
Tickets:
Adults: $20
Concession: $15
Group of 6+: $15
Book tickets here
Anthony Towler – Kelly
Samantha Sheperd – Delwyn
Jacky Geurts – Frankie
Justin Reynolds – Jared
Natalie Crane – Rachel
Courtney Eggleton – Sam
Daniel Pujol – Leo
Prema Cottingham – Wilma
Boni Tukiwaho – Producer
Lucie Everret-Brown - Stage Manager
Irazema Vera - Lighting and Sound Operator
Shane Warbrooke and Irazema Vera - Sound Designer
Excellent premise but messy direction
Review by Heidi North 07th Aug 2013
Kelly Denton (Anthony Towler), a disabled man, proposes to his girlfriend, Natalie (Rachel Burton). Everything seems peachy in the couple’s world – that is until they get a visit from their helpful disabilities benefit supervisor, who informs him he’s not using enough disabled services to qualify for his benefit.
About to lose his income, he’s saddled with a compulsory caregiver Dewlyn (Samantha Shepherd), who takes notes on everything, including his poo. Things deteriorate further as his fiancée leaves him for New Zealand’s top Paralympian, Jared Owen (Justin Reynolds).
Despite being more at home in the pub than on the track, Kelly is determined to get revenge and, with the help of his trusty physio (Jackie Geurts), sets out to win Jared’s spot in the NZ Paralympic team.
Towler’s script has great promise and this is an excellent premise, but it’s not realised to its fullest potential. Kelly doesn’t want Rachel back, and Jared seems like a fairly decent guy. This creates a lack of tension, as we find ourselves wondering who we’re supposed to root for. While there are some amusing moments – the forced church healing is a great scene – it is difficult to engage with the characters when none of them are sufficiently developed to create empathy.
The cast play their parts with gusto (Courtney Eggleton in particular wins us over with her caricatures). But unfortunately the lack of continuity in the direction leads to the humour getting lost in the messiness, while the tone of the piece verges between realism and melodrama. Some firmer directorial choices would have given this piece more shape.
Sharper lighting design would also help focus the audience’s attention on the actors and help to smooth the transitions.
The script does serve to raise awareness of the discrepancy between mainstream sport and the Paralympics which, given the achievements of our athletes, is very much under reported or celebrated.
It also works to highlight some of the issues around living with disability, bringing these to our attention in a fun and playful tone. With a bit more development and some careful direction, the story could have real power.
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