Mr. Bailey’s Minder

Leo Bailey is one of Australia's greatest living artists, but does his art forgive his abuse and neglect of his family and friends? It's a question frequently asked today when the awful secrets of our best artists are revealed, and we have to decide if we can still enjoy the art when we dislike the artist. In St. Jude's imagining of Debra Oswald's play, that's nothing compared to what the artist's family have to endure, and its themes of shame and forgiveness are no less relevant today.

St. Jude’s sets are renowned for their detail and Don Oakley’s recreation of a messy artist’s studio literally paints the creative chaos of Leo’s mind across the walls and, of course, a piece of corrugated iron.

Director Vicky Horwood uses the space well – and off-stage too, the voices of the characters emerging from elsewhere in the house. When Andrew Horwood emerges as Leo Bailey, his cantankerous opening scene is a great entrance and display of his craft.

Joanne St Clair is Margo, Leo’s daughter, successful in her own right but as far from art as possible. St Clair drips resentment towards her father, the rest of her family for leaving her to look after him – and just about anyone else she has to deal with. Her initial exchange with Therese (Leah Lowe) has Margo being calmly critical whilst Therese goes off the deep end assuming the worst. Lowe settles into her role as Therese and builds a believable relationship with her charge: there’s both simmering laughter and contemplation for Leo and Therese when they return from a trip that involved a stop at an office building. These two are a joy to watch together when he’s not on the rampage.

Sure, these are archetypes, which means the audience thinks they understand where they’ve come from – and even where they’re going – though Oswald’s writing is not quite that predictable. The playwright’s character changes aren't always convincing: Leo's sudden ability to quit alcohol, and Margo's disproportionate outbursts of anger, are two that stand out - but director Horwood resists the temptation to turn these extremes of character into caricature, which means their humanity is more forgiving.

However, playing down Leo's wild swings from attacker to victim makes him more likeable, and in turn, Margo's emotional changes make her less so. As the daughter quite accurately says, drinking doesn't change who you are, it only lowers the inhibitions to express it, so it is challenging to reconcile Leo's inordinate kindness to Therese with his later verbal onslaught. Yet Andrew Horwood does convey the paradox of Leo’s ability to capture emotion in paint, without being able to express the empathy for those who love(d) him.

Oswald’s play is not just about finding redemption for Leo – it’s Therese realising she has to forgive herself, for everything she has done wrong, for everyone she has hurt and betrayed along the way. Part of that is helped along by the handyman who befriends them, Karl (Hal Bruce, who also appears as Karl’s opposite, Gavin, a slimy con-artist).

Mr. Bailey’s Minder can be confronting with its themes but its warming narrative still builds hope.

Mark Wickett

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