Riflemind

October 13th 2007 12:00 am | Theatre | Review - By Diana Simmonds

What's it all about, Andy?

Riflemind

Riflemind, Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company, October 10-December 8; ww.sydneytheatre.com

Andrew Upton isn't the first writer to be morbidly fascinated by the world of rock'n'roll. It's both the most repellent and the most attractive milieu to come out of 20th century western culture. I say this with the confidence of a former rock chick who is lucky to have escaped with grey cells and septum relatively intact.

So what is it about rock gods, aside from sex, drugs and the music? It's a question that was being asked by some bemused members of the audience on the way out of the theatre and it's reminiscent of Louis Armstrong's answer to the question, what is jazz? He said: If you have to ask, you'll never know. Much the same can be said of those who don't "get" rock.

Why are rockers the most enduringly desirable products of the culture? Well if the wicked pleasures of the sex, the drugs and the music (ah, the music!) aren't sufficient explanation then you're probably an Iranian mullah and there's no point going into a debate about decadence and demons. Otherwise, Upton's new play offers a few hints.

Upton has plunged deep into the dark side of rock with Riflemind - the name of a once-mighty band - in a story reminiscent of the trajectory and personal relationships of 80s-90s US country-rockers Uncle Tupelo. (Except that trio split up before middle age and creative drought mired them in nostalgia and too much recrimination.) It's a potentially rich vein to mine because most movies, musicals and plays on the topic tend to focus on the bubblegum side of rock - Bye Bye Birdie or the spoof Meet The Rutles, School of Rock - and, to avoid disenfranchising the lucrative kiddie market, eschew the disreputable aspects. (Rock Follies, Foxes, Stardust, The Rose and on stage in David Hare's Teeth 'n' Smiles which, incidentally, featured a seminal rock chick performance from Helen Mirren in its original production.) But rock was never meant to be nice, which is where Riflemind comes in.

The members of the band are LA-domiciled drummer Moon (yes, really) played with plaintive sincerity by Steve Rodgers, bass player Phil (cool, shades-wearing Marton Csokas) and the band's leader, guitar hero and songwriter John (Hugo Weaving). Moon's parlous finances are the real impetus behind the attempt to re-form, revisit the old songs and set up a high-grossing tour. The play opens as he and Phil, Phil's chick Cindy (Susie Porter) and the band's randy barrow-boy manager Sam (Jeremy Sims) arrive by helicopter at John's secluded English country estate. As a precaution - John has indicated he never wants to play again - they have brought with them new generation ace axeman Lee, (Ewen Leslie).

It's a move fraught with danger because John, as written, is a volatile cocktail of Brian Wilson at his most reclusive, Phil Spector at his most paranoid and John Lennon at his nastiest. It is little wonder that all his confederates treat him like an unexploded bomb. Nevertheless, John seems untroubled by the appearance of the potential usurper and chooses other targets instead, in particular, Sims' chirpy chappy Sam. Sam effects not to notice the roiling agro and routine humiliation John dishes out to him, however, and provides some welcome light relief in a performance that dips its lid to Adam Faith's Budgie and Stardust characters.

John is a curiously unlikely character, despite Weaving's sustained performance of smouldering menace. John is one dimensional and charmless in the extreme; nothing is offered to suggest why he is the creative genius or why he so effortlessly attracts and keeps his acolytes. Instead, he glowers, glowers some more; is boring, is more boring and eventually goes back to glowering again. The only time he shows even a glimmer of humanity is in his relationship with his equally unlikely, strangely suburban wife Lynn (Susan Prior). They are an improbable couple but eventually it becomes apparent that her daggy white anorak and determinedly sensible demeanour conceal a secret as dark as any the band could ever concoct.

It must be said, though, that Lynn's credibility as a character is a product of Prior's performance rather than in the role as written. Prior is magnificent and memorable in Riflemind. She is one of those rare chameleon actresses who go way beyond the normal complement of three emotions and is dazzling, even in this starry company. By way of contrast, Susie Porter shines, briefly, in her one decent scene - with Sims - but otherwise suffers the fate of the real life rock babe: she sits around waiting and smoking being ignored, pawed or bored.

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COMMENTS

I didn't think John was one-dimensional. He starts out being quite a one-dimensional bastard, but for some reason his friends put up with him and you eventually see why. He ends up showing a caring side and his wry wit later becomes inclusive with his band, like when he jibes himself for referring to Phil Collins. It sounds clicheed when summarized that way, but he's acted very believably, and with a great deal of gravitas.

I share your disappointment that Suzi Porter's character gets less attantion towards the end of the play, especially since she carries her diverging motives so well, but it's already a long play and the climax is already quite intense without it.

On the whole, I think the characters are really well-played. They were all very realistic and layered. The dialogue was natural and witty, and other than the first monologue, it's not stagey at all.

The writing and the actors are really good at creating the tension between the characters, and I liked how the plot and characters slowly unravelled. The characters really stay with you.

By salim on October 24th 2008 6:43 am