Vile

Vile is a new work by playwright Didem Caia who uses the unusual structure of having two separate time lines in the one play, combining the past (1999) running backward and the present (2009) running forward. So rather than cause and effect, we see the effect and slowly discover the cause.

The ten year jump between scenes is handled through a slight wardrobe variation for the main characters and the projection of a date on the back wall, and at times I found myself trying to remember which part of the story we were watching. Because of the chopped up time line of the play I found it difficult to gauge the development of the characters.  The structure seemed more suited to a film treatment where the time shift could be supported by physical differences in the appearance of the actors and locations which was not evident on stage.

Melanie, played by Madeleine Ryan, has the bulk of dialogue and her delivery was realistic and diction clear.  The jump between her 1999 teenage and 2009 adult versions was generally handled well.

Darcey Kent is James, and as her teenage boyfriend has all the awkwardness and insensitivity of youth, but was less convincing as the older James. At times his dialogue could not be heard. 

Melanie’s mother (Amanda McKay) was an unsympathetic character, with an almost total lack of reactions. It is only toward the end of the play (or the beginning of the story) that we discover possible reasons for her behavior but by then it is too late to engage with her.   

Anthony West as Puppy and Todd Levi as Melanie’s father Peter contributed a strong physical presence when onstage in their cameo roles.

It is interesting how watching people smoking is now so repulsive and distracting. There was heavy use of herbal cigarettes in this performance and the smell became quite strong in the small space of La Mama Courthouse theatre. The development of Melanie as a teenage smoker could have been more convincing had the 2009 Melanie looked comfortable smoking; rather the actor looked awkward both as a teenager and ten year veteran smoker.

The set design by Elizabeth Millington worked well in the small space with a rostrum and several benches representing different houses and locations. The organic forms of a number of leafless trees framing the action worked to soften the hard lines of the set and give a sense of “outside”.

Lighting design by Clare Springett was well handled using a tiny rig of about 20 lights. There was enough lighting variation to establish different locations but perhaps more could have been done to help separate the time lines. Some timing of cues was a little off and the occasional momentary flash of lights during a fade makes me wonder if there is a problem with a dimmer or fader on the desk, as I have seen this before in this space.   

The audio track worked well to support the story and create at times an unsettling atmosphere. The balance between dialogue and audio was occasionally an issue as the drone took over.

Overall this performance left me feeling flat – it felt more like a cerebral workout, trying to keep track of the time lines and then after the show trying to piece the story back together in a linear form. Ultimately this meant I didn’t engage with the characters and I really didn’t know or care if Melanie found redemption. 

Shirley Jensen