MASTERCLASS
MASTERCLASS, Red Line Productions at the Old Fitz Theatre, 14-31 January 2015. Photography by Marnya Rothe: l-r Charlie Garber, Gareth Davies; right: Gareth Davies.
Once upon a time there were self portraits, then there was autobiography and now, in the age of inanity, there is the selfie. According to a recently released study, the number of selfies on one’s Facebook page directly correlates with mental health and stability. Not really surprising, if you think about it for a minute.
The other side of the selfie, however, is self reflection, self examination and the humility of realising one is a bit of a twit and that life is a joker. The next step is to figure that life is too important to be taken seriously and to play games with all that it means. Whether that’s the basis for Masterclass, by Gareth Davies and Charlie Garber, is for them to know and you to find out; or to decide something different if you so choose.
The two actors are among the more talented and interesting men to be found on Sydney stages at the moment and with this piece – some time in the concocting – they also perform as well as having devised it over the past couple of years. It’s an extended comedic riff (not too extended: about an hour at breakneck speed) on art, theatre, life and friendship.
There are many theatre jokes, many acting jokes and many audience jokes. Existential angst jokes and – unknown to most – off-stage real-life jokes too. There are lots of painful things about being an actor and one of them surely has to be having your name misspelt in one of the stories so keenly sought by any show in the hope of getting the message out to the public.
Charlie Gruber and Charlie Garber are one and the same but they could be the characters in this play (on words) in which Garber is called Gareth Davies and Davies dispenses his pearls of wisdom and assorted bons mot with a beady eye and a fair amount of pomp and circumstance.
Masterclass is absurd, profound, meaningful, meaningless and smartly executed by the pair. It may help to be a bit of a theatre tart to really savour the depth of nonsense on offer, but the nonsense is also enough to carry anyone from burping discreetly on a pre-dinner laksa to slurping the post-show chardy without too much discomfort or puzzlement.
Just don't try answering any of the questions nor respond to demands for audience participation, if you know what’s good for you. Go with the flow and the flow will be with you.
