INTIMACIES
Maidment Theatre - Musgrove Studio, Auckland
05/07/2013 - 20/07/2013
Production Details
Award-winning New Zealand writer Stephen Sinclair (The Bach, The Bellbird, Ladies Night) transports audiences to the near future with two thematically-linked one act plays- hilarious satires and a disturbing premonition of where society is headed.
Sweet Thing opens with Sally having a frank and intimate discussion with her Mum.
They appear to have a beautiful close relationship – until Sally’s brother Philip storms in, angry and abusive, demanding Sally get rid of her. For Mum is a clone that Sally made upon her mother’s death – a way for her to address all her unresolved issues from childhood.
I’d Rather Be The Pope presents us with Rod, a hard-core gamer who spends most of his conscious life inhabiting the amoral universe of virtual reality. A borderline sociopath, he has been marginalised by society.
However, when he assaults his counsellor, her reaction is quite unexpected…
Intimaciesis directed by Elena Stejko
and features Rima Te Wiata, Ross Brannigan, Lynn Waldegrave, Jordan Selwyn, Peter Tait, Charlotte Chapman
Saturday 6th – Sat 20th July
Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre
The University of Auckland
6.30 Tuesday, 8pm Wed-Sunday
NOTE: THIS SEASON WAS SHORTENED BY A WEEK with the following notice posted on the Maidment/Musgrove website:
Please note: due to an illness within the cast, the performance of Intimacies on Saturday 20 July will be the final performance. Elena Stejko will be replacing Rima Te Wiata for the remainder of the season.
Spirited performances
Review by Heidi North 07th Jul 2013
This latest offering by writer Stephen Sinclair (Ladies Night co-written with Anthony McCarten; Braindead the Musical; The Bellbird; The Bach; Drawer of Knives) is two thematically linked one act plays: Sweet Thing and I’d Rather Be The Pope. Unfortunately, due to injury to a cast member, the second play did not go ahead on opening night.
Sweet Thing opens on Sally having a touching reunion with her mum. However things are quickly revealed to be not quite what they seem when brother Philip arrives and becomes outraged that Sally has in fact, cloned their mum.
What follows is a comedic exploration of what might happen if you could force your family to listen to you and you really could air all your grievance’s – especially if those family members are nothing but willing to please you and are deeply regretful. It poses the question: would it help?
It’s a great premise, and the script offers up some very witty moments as 50-year-old Sally (Rima Te Wiata) becomes increasingly deranged, sculling wine, stomping around in her pyjama’s and generally reverting back to her worst teenage self. Meanwhile highly-strung Mum (Lynn Waldegrave) whips around being the super-mum Sally never had: tidying, doing the laundry and making cups of tea for her daughter. Things get further out of hand as Sally also clones brother Philip (Ross Brannigan).
There is a nice lack of closure to the piece as Sally’s world gets less and less to her liking, and we are left with the characters all in various states of disrepair. Like the very nature of family itself: messy, and never quite what you want.
Rima Te Wiata relishes the role of the neurotic and self-obsessed Sally, bringing to it plenty of energy and comedic timing.
Despite the spirited performances from the cast, it was frustrating to not be able to catch some of the action from where I was sitting in the third row, as much happened at the very front of the stage.
In the end, this isn’t so much a play about the possibilities of technology, as about families, reminding us that, alive or dead, they still just drive us mad.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
Comments
Editor July 20th, 2013
Season shortened - last night tonight (Sat 20/7). This from the Maidment/Musgrove Studio website:
Please note: due to an illness within the cast, the performance of Intimacies on Saturday 20 July will be the final performance. Elena Stejko will be replacing Rima Te Wiata for the remainder of the season.
Mary Brown July 18th, 2013
Haven't seen this play yet. But after reading the review I feel like I have. Such a bummer that Reviews have no form of agreement relating to classification of production storylines till after the production has been published or in this case till after the play is at least halfway through its season, giving the punters a chance to see a show without knowing all of its surprises, twists and little gems first.... Usually I shy away from any media on a show that I may be going to, as does sports fans who miss the live broadcast, and don't want to know the score, before watching the game at a later time. But in this instance Sweet Things Review was emailed to me and I guess I wasn't thinking when I opened it and read it..... I like to be surprised when I've made the effort to see something (which is not often), and especially these days when there is huge saturation of entertainment, its not often, as an audience member, I get surprised by something fresh and new. Normally I can predict what's going to happen, however, it sounds to me like this play would of been an exception. Thanks to the review, not anymore.