Nine twisted tales of love at WTC

The spotlights are back on at the Warrandyte Mechanics’ Institute, as Warrandyte Theatre Company presented Love/Sick, as collection of short plays. As we hit the streets, the production still has a week to run, so we have resisted the temptation to spoil the twists in the tail.

By BRIONY BOTTARELLI

JOHN CARIANI, actor/playwright and great observer of the human condition, brings to the stage a contemporary play about love in the form of nine vignettes, more specifically, nine ten-minute plays. But as the title Love/Sick suggests, it is also about dysfunctional love. It is a poignant portrayal of nine different relationships with the common thread of love or the lack of it. All the characters within this quirky, compassionate, funny, sad, devastating, but uplifting and very insightful work, reflect all that is encompassed within modern relationships. Although the characters are dealing with serious issues, they are presented to the audience in a comedic and palatable way. Clever, clever, clever! Not only the script, but the directors, the innovative and interchangeable sets, costuming and the transition from one play to another. I could not select one actor over another for their performances, they were all brilliant. Each actor played several roles, but their characters were never confused. If I had to sum up the whole production was polished and professional.

By DAVID HOGG

THIS VERY CLEVER and entertaining play by American playwright John Cariani brought to us by the Warrandyte Theatre Company (WTC) marks the next step forward in what will hopefully be a return to live theatre with full audiences. The Company had taken great care to comply with COVID restrictions, and the 25% capacity audience was seated in small groups booked at separate tables cleverly candle-lit. The first and last weeks were a sellout, with only a few tickets remaining for the middle week as we go to press. Love/Sick consists of nine funny and unconnected vignettes about the many dimensions of love. We were treated to an evening of superlative acting by the talented cast of eight, most of whom were familiar faces. Each act involved two people, and whilst most involved a male/female relationship one included a gay couple and another a lesbian couple. The plays themselves revolved around totally dysfunctional couples and throughout these acts I had a mental urge to bang the characters’ heads together. We could all see where they were going wrong, as they mostly portrayed the insensitivity of one partner to the feelings of the other, usually and ashamedly insensitivity of the male to the needs of the female. Yet despite our concerns with the annoying plots, in every case the acting was brilliant. To review each vignette would take too long; however, I must single out the Singing Telegram act for special praise. Lochie Laffin-Vines succinctly captures the part of a Singing Telegram Man who is reluctant to deliver his message. Simone Kiefer plays Louise, the recipient of the message, who is anticipating a proposal from her boyfriend. When she learns the actual contents of the message she portrays amazing versatility, turning quickly from the absolute joy of having the performer arrive to abject misery when she realises the message. David Tynan and Lisa MacGibbon are the accomplished directors. Lighting is excellent, as usual, and special mention must be made of the simple minimalistic set with a very cleverly designed doorway which can be turned to show a blank wall, an interior door, an ornate front door, or completely laid on its side to form a double bed. Thank you, WTC, for a most enjoyable night. Next up on the WTC stage will be Visitors by Barney Norris which runs in August. The long-awaited Calendar Girls by Tim Firth will finally be coming to our stage in late September. And the much-loved Follies returns in late November.