Sarah MacNeill … A
White Knight for a Black Swan

 I like Hannie Rayson’s work, although for a bloke, it can be
a little “Chick Flickie,”  borne out by
the predominance of women in last night’s PREVIEW audience for THE SWIMMING
CLUB.

As it turned out, Monday night was a virtual opening night –
some sort of hideous fall-out between the actor Angela Punch MacGregor and
Black Swan’s partner, Melbourne Theatre Company, had seen the wonderfully
accomplished and gifted actor leave the production – two days before it was due
to open!

Black Swan cancelled the planned Saturday night preview and
put out a desperate call for a replacement actor – a virtually impossible task.
However Sarah McNeill, with extraordinary courage, put her hand up to take on
what is in reality, a lead role.

Personally, I find Sarah McNeill a little difficult, she’s
always been stand-offish with me, somewhat condescending. So, there I was in
the audience, a bit concerned I was going to be bored to tears with
angst-ridden ‘Chick Flick’ stuff and confronted with an actor I find it hard to
relate to.

Director Kate Cherry spoke to the audience before the play
commenced, telling those who were not aware, of the change in actors and that
Sarah McNeill had had only two days to prepare for the role, I was genuinely
gripped with sheer fear for her.

“Beginners please,” McNeill was on first, no time for other
actors to break the back of things, worse, for me, her character is that of
a  brittle, repressed person – one of
those pursed-lipped women who have ‘Hard Work’ stamped on their forehead.

Sarah McNeill, you were bloody magnificent, sure relaxed
facial characterisations weren’t quite there (yet!), however in terms of lines,
I noticed ONE slip, with the word ‘daughter’ and to get the blocking down –
even the inevitable Zorba dance, as well as the lines and cues, still astounds
me. It was an incredible display of discipline, professionalism and ability.

It’s a very effective set – sand, water and the odd starry,
starry night, depicting a Greek island beach – do all middle aged women head
for the Greek Isles, in much the same way middle aged men apparently head to
Thai Bars? My only complaint about sound, was with the music before the play
commenced, it was pointlessly, painfully loud, otherwise excellent, as was
vocal projection, fully accepting that McNeill’s execution was a touch
nervously inaudible here and there – observation, not criticism, given the
circumstances. The lighting was evocative, with one or two scenes almost
marionette-like.

Megan Holloway, as the Goth daughter, vamped up her teenage
character superbly – anyone with daughters will understand EXACTLY what was
going on.  John Waters is a warmly,
natural fit for the role of the cuckolded husband, the combination of his
portrayal, the lines and perhaps his own personality, made Water’s character
immensely likeable and real. Carolyn Gillmer plays the dumped breast cancer
survivor extremely realistically, although I feel hers was the weakest written
role – very, very strong in the first act, there wasn’t enough meat for her to
work with towards the finale. Tina Bursill plays the motorcycle-riding Canadian
travel writer utterly convincingly – the character nuances were so believable,
I wanted to ask her to go riding with me to Broome in a couple of weeks,
however the end sequences where she’s duded by her partner were messy, not in
the actor’s execution, but in the writing, it was jumbled and simply not
convincing.

So was it a “Chick Flick?” No! It’s obviously written for
Baby Boomers, takes none of the usual “men are stupid” cop-outs, is
wonderfully, gently funny and instantly recognisable for so many of us. I
wondered whether they change the names of place to suit the city the play is
being shown in – would Melbourne audiences know, (or even care), about
Cottesloe, or PLC? The work had its genesis as a workshop, rather than a
planned concept, it does show with the trailing off of some characterisation
and the ending was a bit too ‘Hollywood Happy Trite,’ however it is engaging,
thoughtful and entertaining theatre, marvellously Australian, with great acting
and superb direction. I’d go again. Oh yes, both the audience and the cast,
gave Sarah McNeil special, fully deserved applause and cheers at ‘Curtain
Call.’

 THE SWIMMING CLUB is on at The Playhouse, from 31 March – 18^th
April, it is a long play (2 hours 30 minutes, including interval), bookings can
be made at BOCS, (08) 9484 1133.

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