Influence - 4.5 out of 5 stars
Stirling Players
TICKETS: https://events.humanitix.com/influencestirlingplayers/tickets
There are some plays that disappear as their relevance grows less and less. Influence is unlikely to be one of them, even 21 years after its Sydney premiere. David Williamson’s play was borne out of the tragedy of 9/11, the Bali bombings and the Cronulla riots (the latter fuelled by the racist speeches of a number of prominent “shock jocks” of the time). It explores that part of our culture that many choose to ignore and are uncomfortable about. Williamson pulls zero punches in this scathing takedown of our society and it sadly resonates even more today.
Ziggi, a pastiche of people like Alan Jones and Stan
Zemanek, is a classic Sydney talkback host preying on the fears of his
listeners and encouraging them to speak to their truths. And they do. His
arrogance has seen him rise to the top of the pile with a harbourside apartment
to show for it. But while his on-air life appears amazing, behind the scenes it
is absolute chaos.
His wife, Carmela, is trying to resurrect a ballet career
after giving birth and is blindly focused on this to the detriment of
everything including her decency. Ziggi’s daughter, Vivienne, is sick of her
mother and decides to move back in with her dad and his current bride. She is
struggling on so many levels, as is Ziggi’s father, Marco, who is being dumped on
his doorstep by sister Connie- a lady who absolutely detests everything Ziggi
and his audience stand for. Meanwhile longsuffering servant Tony has to help
the new housekeeper, Turkish lady Zehra, navigate the storm around her.
Williamson’s play is full of the wry humour that has
punctuated most of his work but the laughs are deliberately scattered thin and
at times certain discussions drag on a little too long and border on “virtue
signalling”. One suspects this is deliberate on Williamson’s part because he
delights in making the audience squirm as they hear echoes of themselves
through the lens of the very real characters onstage.
Stirling Players have assembled a flawless cast to bring
this play to life. Director Vicky Horwood moves the players about on the single
set (well designed by Erik Strauts) and makes sure that nothing is left to
chance. Pacing is generally tight and the script is very well bedded in from
all players. Richard Parkhill’s lighting is his usual unintrusive best.
Brendan Clare embodies the role of Ziggi whole heartedly.
His change of persona from his on-air personality to that of the husband and
father is well managed and subtle. As things start to fall apart, Clare makes
sure his character remains as grounded as possible. It is a major role that has
the audience both loving and loathing him at the same time.
Carla Hardie brings out the vile nature of Carmela superbly.
Playing her with such a bloody-minded nature and a completely selfish attitude
makes her one of the most unlikeable characters on stage- and that is no mean
feat amongst this lot. This is a fantastic achievement for Hardie who never
once lets up.
Zoe Battersby steals every scene she is in as daughter
Vivienne. This such a wonderfully nuanced performance that could easily have
gone into parody but Battersby balances the many shades of her character
effectively. This is no stereotypical teenager; she is wonderfully complex and
Battersby proves her mettle with this performance – the latest in a string of outstanding
performances from this incredibly talented young actress.
Andrew Horwood provides much of the food for thought as
Ziggi’s father, Marco. The level of experience from this veteran actor would
fit nicely onto any professional stage. While there are some laughs to be had,
there are some genuinely heartbreaking scenes delivered with pinpoint accuracy
for maximum effect. His scenes with his son are some of the absolute best
you’ll see.
Joanna St. Clair threatens to steal the show as Ziggi’s
sister, Connie. Her moral compass is what grounds this show and she reminds
those on stage and in the audience of where we should be as a society and where
our priorities should lie. The sign of a great performance is one where the
stage time is limited but the audience remembers every second. This performance
fits firmly into that category.
Turea Blyth as housekeeper Zehra is another absolute gem.
Her accent is excellent and her unspoken inner monologues as she wrestles with
her place in the chaos is every bit as effective as her interactions with the
characters onstage. Her scenes opposite Carmela are some of the tensest you
will witness.
John Koch rounds out this amazing cast with his usual
excellence as Tony. He makes every second of his stage time count and has the
best “mic drop” moment out of all the characters.
The only minor gripe is the use of “anonymous” music to
substitute for the actual tunes mentioned on stage. It is understandable that
copyright can bite into a budget, but when your radio announcer talks about
just listening to Fleetwood Mac, then it would be nice to hear a few seconds of
actual Fleetwood Mac. Also, synthesiser versions of Wagner’s “Ride Of The Valkyries”
will never beat the sound of the real thing – and that piece is in the public
domain. There are ways around this without affecting the plot that needed to
have been explored and would have been an absolute cherry on top of what is a
near flawless production. The audience at the performance I attended, though,
did not seem to care too much and gave this play the love it deserved.
If you are in or around the Stirling Theatre then you should
check this very relevant play out before it closes. It may give you pause to
really think about where we are headed.
- Rodney Hrvatin
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