Wherever and however you can find some love, some magic, in this difficult life, take it with open arms. That is the message that comes across in John Kolvenbach’s play, a love song with a bittersweet melody.
In LOVE SONG, Joan and Harry are a struggling young couple, trying to make ends meet. There is little joy or spontaneity in their life together. Joan also takes on the added responsibility of looking after, and being a carer, for her younger, very wayward brother, Beane. The suitably named Beane walks around in life as if he in a bad dream, living a bare, hand to mouth existence. And then, one day he meets a woman and his whole life changes, and these changes flow on to his sister….
Glen Hamilton directs this contemporary fable with warmth and colour.
Mel Hyde as the highly strung Joan and Ben Scales as her gentle, caring husband forever trying to calm her down, pitched their performances well.
Ford Sarhan brought a lovely, clownish touch to the role of the wayward, peculiar Beane. Romney Stanton played the ‘pushy’ woman who brings out a new side to him.
The cosy, intimate, relaxed setting of the downstairs Tap Gallery Theatre contributed to the night’s enjoyment. Where else in a Sydney theatre would one find the stage manager and technical operator- in this case, Eden Fordham- sitting amongst the audience as she operated the lighting board. Theatre does not get any more chilled out than this!
Running time of LOVE SONG was 75 minutes straight through. Summing up…Sometimes I felt I was drifting off a little too far with Kolvenbach’s poetic, stream of consciousness dialogue. Still, a warm, engaging night at the theatre.
Gamut Theatre Company’s production of LOVE SONG plays the downstairs theatre at the Tap Gallery, 178 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst until Saturday 22nd June. Remaining performances are this Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 6pm.