The Motherf**ker with the hat

The title of this play is simultaneously shocking and intriguing. Laced with high octane, machine-gun style profanities, what could have turned out to be quite hateful, proved to be a ‘hatful’ of surprises.

Stephen Adly Guirgis’ play The Motherf**ker with the Hat premiered on Broadway in 2011, starring Chris Rock and Bobby Cannavale.

The current production is directed by Nick Fagan and Matt Houston and to quote Fagan, it is “raw, real and wickedly funny”.

The play opens with a phone conversation between Veronica, an addict, and her mother, in which we are immediately catapulted into a brash world of profanities and confronted with overt drug taking. This is a dark love story that bounces from scene to scene and from shock to shock.

The script is clever and confronting, dealing with the relativity of our moral compasses. Those who initially appear quite abhorrent in their lifestyle and attitude, are revealed to be softer, more ethical and able to love - the case in point - the ‘just out of prison’, Jackie. Characters whom we believe to be ‘better citizens’ include Jackie’s healthy living AA sponsor, Ralph, who is unveiled as an adulterer who cares little about values and morals. No one in this play is as simple as they first appear to be.

Nick Fagan is brilliant as Jackie - his acting is confident and believable and his final scene, in contrast to his earlier confrontational ones, showed nuance and softness. Rosie Williams carries the role of the seemingly hard Veronica very well, however she needs to be careful with her pacing as the tough New York accent delivered at high speed, makes understanding dialogue difficult at times.

Patrick Kana Gibson gives a strong performance as Ralph, a character with much light and shade, and his confrontation scene with Jackie is realistic. Lana Adamuszek is wonderfully tough as the suffering wife of Ralph and delivers lines with clarity and understanding of the character. David Salter as the comic relief in the play - cousin Julio - is solid, although at times his Puerto Rican accent is difficult to understand.

Overall this is a very good play which stays with the audience long after. The biggest issue with the performance is the venue. This is a play that needs to be intimate, where the audience feel like voyeurs in this crazy world. The sheer size of the room and height of the ceiling, caused much of the dialogue to be lost, and, at times, the audience to become detached.

Shelley Hampton

Click here to read more Adelaide Fringe reviews.