Drama

[unclear: In] Search of a Playwright

[unclear: eration] Viviette [unclear: uce] Phillips [unclear: wnstage] "Halfway up" Theatre

[unclear: ver] theatre reviewers, especially when [unclear: mmenting] on a comedy are want to toss [unclear: a] wirty opening: my offerings, "Take [unclear: ur] Actresses" (too breezy), "A Woman's [unclear: ide] to Liquers" (condescending, sexist?). [unclear: hers] may start, "Operation Viviette" at [unclear: wnstage's] Halfway Up is within its [unclear: As- dian] structure..... but it is not, and I am [unclear: uggling] separated by space and time from [unclear: erence] books and the Tullane Drama [unclear: Re- w].

Bruce Phillips, it seems was given four [unclear: resses] (In Search of a Playwright?) and [unclear: ed] to write a play. Which he did: a nu-[unclear: bizarre] fifty-five minute play, with a [unclear: sh] of topical humour, and no message [unclear: think]). Knitting and nuclear destruction [unclear: ..the] demise of the Auckland Harbour [unclear: idge] is tied closely to a fruit cake raffle.

Four actresses working well together, [unclear: pleasing] instance of a company system [unclear: orking]; vocally and physically compe-[unclear: nt], allowing for the style of the [unclear: produc- n] and the shape and size of the Halfway [unclear: o] space (low ceiling, concrete walls) which always seem to force the performance on the audience.

The roles were, after all, tailor made — which perhaps tells us something about the individual actors: in Frances Edmond and Janet Fisher a certain angularity, harder line compared with Prue Langbeim and Phillipa Campbell's rounder edges.

Alyson Baker directedly a stylised, over real performance: it may be the play would not have worked otherwise. Its shape I felt could have been improved, perhaps at the expense of length, though it is not a long play: we reached the climax of what I suppose could be considered the first act comfortably enough — by the applause I wasn't the only one to think it was the end; but the second part was fraught with contrived climax, taking away from, instead of building to the end.

Late night / lunch time theatre is worth having a look at, some people I know thought it a wank, but somewhere in the list of theatrical maxim there must be one that says theatre is risk.

John Godfrey.