Park Bench Series

Maverick Theatre Productions present this new series of plays set on a park bench, written, and directed by Noel O’Neill. Like its predecessor, this production is a collection of six plays that take place on a park bench, somewhere in the world.

The programme lists seven plays, so presumably, which plays are presented, varies slightly between performances. The seventh play, that did not appear at the matinee I attended, Two Birds with One Stone, was presented as part of Irish Theatre Players’ One Act Season earlier this year – and was reviewed on that occasion.

With minimal set and limited scope for movement, these plays rely on good storyline and strong characterisation, and this is generally well achieved, with the audience clearly involved and invested in each short play.

Three Way Split tells of two men, played with affability by Phil Barnett and Rex Gray, who are both ex-husbands of the same woman. Together they paint a picture of a scheming harridan, but when the woman, played effectively by Amanda Alderson arrives, she appears reasonable, if flawed, and is meeting them to ask for their blessings on her imminent nuptials.

Funnier, if still rather poignant is Man’s Best Friend, a two-hander starring Michael Dorman and Bev Lawrence, in which a woman accuses her boyfriend of being obsessed with his dog, leaving her as second priority. Well-crafted and nicely acted, it offers lots of laughs.

The Passion Play may be familiar to those who saw the first season of Park Bench Plays, the story of an uptight director whose wife has shown up to audition for the role of The Virgin Mary in his play. Originally featuring the late James Hagan, Noel O’Neil now plays the egocentric director with great style, as Rex Gray offers great support as his fiend.

The only all women play in the series, The Lake features some excellent performers in Vivienne Marshall, Alitia Harnish and Mona Afshar as three long term friends who meet annually to honour the drowning death of one of their children. I was a little distracted in this one, by a disconnect between the predominantly Australian accents and the specifically American setting, and at times I felt this was the least successful of the six plays, despite the hard work of the cast.

The Unforgiven is a well-crafted story in which a homeless man (a convincing Phil Barnett) and a woman (Bev Lawrence performing with depth), tell their stories to each other in interlocking monologues – neither really listening to the other. A well-crafted and interesting short play.

Finally, in Out of Sight, an agent (a strong Sherrilee Walsh-Bowser) attempts to convince her stand-up-comedian client who is losing his sight (a very different Noel O’Neil) to return to performing, using a guide dog. A bittersweet comedy that charmed the audience.

Lovely to see a collection of local writing being well performed and very warmly received.

Kimberley Shaw