Grace holds a strange place on a Sydney stage. It gaveth and it tooketh away. The Actor’s Pulse debut theatre event delivered a mostly fantastic vision of actors who are mastering their craft. Nikki Waterhouse was a standout in the way she held herself. She was sensuously restrained as the Christian wife who slowly saw a new perspective. Her counterpart, Jeremy Shadlow, gave a similarly strong performance as a disfigured, troubled scientist. Their chemistry was palpable and a token not only to their own talent but to The Actor’s Pulse school.
A production, however, needs more than quality acting to push it over the edge. Engaging with a realist genre, its conservative design saw it staged in a well-decorated and fully-furnished apartment set. This set the action fantastically in a zone relevant to all of us. Simultaneously, though, it distracted the audience with its specificity, the themes, apparently universal, undermined by this local representation. As always, why is this here and now? It’s difficult to say, as Sydney’s fundamental Christian evangelists are not a major issue. The script has its problems, especially given the Sydney context. If these problems of context are disregarded, however, it’s a beautifully represented tension between man, wife and intriguing other man, set among opposing world-views.
Definitely head along to catch this new production. Expect some fantastic actors. Expect a script that disappoints. Expect to be on the edge of your chair for most of the production, and to be breathless when you finish.
