Talc & Two Gates

Company: Subtlenuance
Venue: TAP Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney
Dates: 14 July – 1 August 2010

Daniela Georgi and Paul Gilchrist, the sagacious minds behind independent theatre company Subtlenuance, present to audiences two seemingly different yet strikingly similar plays of atonement, Talc and Two Gates.

Sam and Kate, a newly engaged couple seem to be following the all too familiar trend most Sydney-siders their age pursue; a mortgage, a marriage, kids, all work and no play. Sam is happy, Kate is not. There are children starving in third world countries, how can she justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an apartment and engagement ring?

As the title suggests, Talc attempts to sieve through multitudes of minute good and bad consequences broken down from a whole. The whole being surprise, surprise globalisation. Coming to grips with reality proves too difficult for Kate as she begins to spiral into a pit of despondency she has created for herself. Try as he might Sam cannot cushion her fall as he watches her commit an irrational, abstruse and, if you ask me pretty childish “crime”.

Daniela Georgi’s writing is enlightening and at times subtlety comical. With the intention of questioning ones ability to deal with despairing situations that befall all human beings, Georgi has created two intriguingly complex characters. After questioning herself with a fairly common query, ‘why am I so ridiculously lucky?’ Georgi decided to put thoughts and words into motion resulting in an astute portrayal of human life and desires.

Jo Richards as Kate boasts a short but impressive list of credentials including training at the prestigious Jacques Lecoq theatre school in Paris and a professional acting stint in Scotland. As an up-and-coming performer trying to break onto the scene, Richards provides enough gusto to keep the audience entertained but not necessarily enthralled. Her stage presence was, at first awkward but seemed to mushroom towards the end as she began to feel comfortable by her surroundings and managed to summon a few moments of sheer desolation.

The strength of this performance lies with Lucas Connolly as Sam. His vibrant stage presence was felt by everyone the minute he stormed onto the stage. Having trained at the UQT Academy of Arts, Connolly is certainly adept as an up-and-coming performer. His attention to detail was rewarding to the performance, as was the set by designer Emma Vine. A stark white floor and backdrop is a perfect canvas for Kate and Sam to harbour their shifting insecurities. Clever, detachable furniture provided quick and useful scene changes.

The second performance of Subtlenuance’s first ever double-bill is Two Gates. This one woman show performed by Heidi Lupprian is a tribute to Paul Gilchrist’s aptitude as a skilled writer. So cleverly interweaved with perceptive questioning is his writing that you begin to feel as though Gilchrist’s understanding of the human psyche is on a different more in tuned level.

In life there is only the trivial and the overwhelming. There is nothing in between. I am that nothing.” If you have ever felt this level of doubt in yourself, as many have, then this monologue is sure to hit a few soft spots. Lupprian was able to maintain focus from the entire audience as a confused university graduate trying to escape the pitfalls of normalcy by travelling to Europe. As she documents her travels from sitting next to a crazed motor-mouth on the plane (very relatable) to a drunken spur-of-the-moment trip to Poland the audience transform alongside her as she questions the certainty and quality of life.

Having previously performed with Sydney Theatre Company and Newtown Theatre, Lupprian’s emerging talents should not go unnoticed. The plays pivotal moments were handled with merit as her character grapples with emotional highs and lows. The night’s performance is book ended with a beautiful melody sung by Lupprian herself in a delicate and subtle manner.

All in all the night’s proceedings are a fresh look at Australian works of originality and independence. Come along and support the arts.

Haylie Pretorius