The apposite script

Theatre
The Opposite Sex
St James Cavalier

There is nothing better than a light night out at the theatre every now and again. I’ve been reviewing some pretty serious and alternative work over the past few weeks and my critical mind was yearning for a change.

Luckily, DnA Theatre Productions’ latest play last weekend proved to be just what was needed. David Tristram’s The Opposite Sex, directed by Herman Grech, is originally a script set in the 1980s and was, by Mr Grech’s own admission, updated to suit a more contemporary setting, which I believe worked very well. It is in itself, a great script – it ticks all the right boxes for comedic humour – with sly asides, cheeky one-liners, dry wit and caustic comments, which kept it as fresh and enjoyable without trying too hard.

With a modern and bright set, the entire plot develops in the living area in Mark and Vicky’s upscale home, where this disillusioned husband and wife duo have a long and very eventful dinner party with two mere acquaintances – or so they think. The truth is that Mark knows a lot more about Vicky’s Avon Lady, Judith, than he wants to let on, and invites her along with her husband, Eric to dinner for dubious motives. Vicky’s surprised annoyance at his hasty and incongruous extension of hospitality pales in comparison to her horror at meeting Eric – a figure from her not-so-distant past. It soon becomes evident that a love-quadrilateral gone awry is fast in the making and the eventual breakdown of the relationships and the ensuing mayhem between the four protagonists is the action which drew side-splitting laughs from the audience.

Alan Montanaro’s Mark to Denise Mulholland’s Vicky was craftily constructed as a character and his comedic flair shone through, no doubt propelled by Ms Mulholland’s terrific interpretation of Vicky – an intelligent, slightly neurotic, powerful woman who demands equality even on the battlefield of seduction. Her comic timing is sheer genius and coupled with the excellent dynamic that all four actors had, the play was 90 minutes of non-stop mirth. It is to Mr Grech’s credit that excellent use of the performance space and very good blocking in a fight scene as well as the slowing down of the pace to create those awkward silences laden with meaning, gave the performance an added edge. It felt just like being a live-audience member on a sit-com set – with added entertainment on the side, may I add.

There was this one lady in the audience the night I went who got so into it that she was acting and over-reacting to almost every line – it was fun to sneak the occasional sideways glance at her to catch her in action.

Rowena Grima’s character Judith – the weak, rather dim Avon Lady who attracts Mark’s attention early on – played her part with great care to emulate every sweet but slightly flustered kindergarten teacher you may have had. It was a pleasure seeing this quality comedienne back on stage after such a long absence, and may I add, that several years off stage did not affect her excellent acting style in the least. I was also pleased to see Malcolm Galea starring as Eric – a not-so-pleasant eco-warrior type with a lecturing job to boot, who does treat his wife Judith rather abominably. What was so enjoyable about Tristram’s play was that it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is written in the vein of witty satire that puts British humour in a class of its own. Often comedies are harder to pull off than more dramatic pieces because they risk all flat at the expense of cheap gags.

There was no danger of this in The Opposite Sex because it struck the right balance between cleverly scripted with and strong characterisation. The characters’ throw- away remarks together with their focus on voice and movement were great to watch from a technical perspective too. Poking fun at dysfunctional relationships while sending the message that if we try hard enough, then maybe reconciliation is not such a bad thing, points towards the fact that the opposite sex and our apparent incompatibility is what draws us towards them to begin with.

With that increasingly annoying referendum coming up soon, this play will provide some much-needed comic relief and is a definite must-see this weekend.