THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRYUniversity of Adelaide Theatre Guild
The Little TheatreUntil 08 Jun 2007
Review by
Nikki GaertnerStaging a moved playreading is difficult. There is always the danger that the audience will not be drawn in by the story, that the actors do no more than “read” their lines, rather than portray their characters, that scripts get in the way and that it’s difficult to work out exactly what is going on given the lack of set, costumes and lighting. However Director, Alexander Kirk has overcome these obstacles well in bringing this Jacobean theatre script by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger to the stage.
The story tells of two brothers, Arnoldo (Ronald Densley) and Rutilio (Hal Bruce), the former of which is contracted to marry a young maid, Zenocia (Amy Tucker). However, the custom of their country is that newly married brides must first lie with either the Governor or another willing to pay a set ransom, before going back to her husband. The brothers don’t accept this custom so flee with Zenocia after the wedding, only to become separated on their way to Portugal where various fates await each as they travel through Lisbon.
Music was a great part of Jacobean life, so the plays of this era are generally presented with songs. To achieve this, composer Alexander Mitchell (in conjunction with Kirk) has chosen lyrics from songs of the era and composed a new score that intertwines and connects nicely with the plot. The small orchestra (consisting of Mitchell on violin, Sebastian Tomczak on Violoncello and Aaron Austin on percussion) should be applauded for their work presenting this score.
All four singers cope well with the vocals, but only bass Daniel Goodburn and alto Meran Bow present some characterisation while singing, creating more interest for the audience.
As per other plays within this era, the actors deal with quite a complex form of dialogue, most performers coping with this well. Densley and Tucker are both effective in their roles, delivering their lines clearly and in character.
Bruce, while obviously very enthused about his character, needs to slow down his delivery and project a little more, as some lines are easily missed by the audience.
The supporting cast do well, from Sharon Malujlo as both a dignified and feisty Guiomar, lady of Lisbon, to Marie-Kate Constantine as the alluring and beautiful, but spoilt Hippolyta, and Ewart Shaw, (sporting strangely fluorescent orange hair?) as Zabulon, servant to Hippolyta.
A mention must also go to Matthew Dowdall, as the vain Duarte, who evidently made an effort to memorise his lines, though his delivery could perhaps be toned down a little to better blend with the rest of the cast.
This is a very long show, so future attempts to stage it may consider cutting some of the text to speed it up a little. However, the script is entertaining and witty, and should easily please lovers of Shakespearean or other Elizabethan-era plays.
