Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Friday 22nd May 2015
Masquerade was published in 1979 but it was much more than an illustrated book for children as it contained a riddle, and readers had to find and solve the clues in the illustrations to establish the location of a jewelled golden amulet of a hare. The amulet was designed and hand-made by Christopher 'K
it' Williams, the author and illustrator of the book, and he buried it somewhere in England, watched by writer and celebrity,
Bamber Gascoigne, for the first person who successfully deciphered the riddle to find, and keep. By so doing, he ensured that readers would look long and carefully at his elaborate illustrations, rather than just glance at them in association with reading the text.
Playwright and actress, Kate Mulvany, read the book as a child when in hospital being treated for cancer, and it made a strong impression on her. Years later, she sought out the elusive
Kit Williams and gained his permission to adapt it. He insisted that she include something of her own story, so the book is read by Tessa, a young mother, to her ten year old son, Joe, who is in hospital with cancer. At the end of the book, they take over the quest to help Jack Hare to complete his mission. This production, filled with wonder and delight, is presented by the State Theatre Company of South Australia and Griffin Theatre Company, in association with the Adelaide Festival Centre and Windmill Theatre as part of the Come Out Children's Festival.
The Moon is in love with the Sun and sends her servant, Jack Hare, as her envoy to deliver her message of love and a golden amulet, but he is not the most reliable of creatures and is easily distracted by the quirky characters that he meets along the way. The Man Who Plays the Music that Makes the Word Go Round, who might very well be a Time Lord, tries to help Jack by slowing time, Sir Isaac Newton offers advice, the mercenary Penny Pockets has her eye on the amulet, as does the Practical Man, and Tara Treetops collects lost dreams, while Barber Bob, Barber Bill, and Barber Barbara are a barbershop quartet - minus one.
The cast members play several characters apiece, all except for Nathan O'Keefe who is fully occupied from start to finish as Jack Hare. Resplendent in long, floppy grey ears, O'Keefe brings a mix of great physicality and a wide range of facial expressions to the role, and don't the kids, of all ages, just love his interpretation of Jack Hare. His performance is energetic and enthusiastic, with loads of laughter generated by him and his interactions with the other performers, along with some beautifully poignant moments.
This is far from being a one-man show, though, and there is continual interplay between all of the cast members, and the musicians. The music was written by Mikelangelo, the leader, and Pip Branson, one of the members, of the very popular multiple award-winning band Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen. These musicians are also actors and singers and so Mikelangelo plays the Sun and the Practical Man, while Branson plays violin, as The Man Who Plays the Music that Makes the Word Go Round, as well as handling the roles of Sir Isaac Newton and Craw, the crow that sits on Tara Treetops' shoulder.
Tara Treetops is played by Kate Cheel, another performer who is very popular withAdelaide audiences, and she also plays the lovelorn Moon, while Zindzi Okenyo plays Penny Pockets, Newton's pig, Dawn, a fat nurse, and a fish. The three Barbers are played by Guy Freer,
Sam Martin, and Phil Moriarty, all members of the Black Sea Gentlemen.
Every one of the performers excels in all of their characterisations, and the ensemble work is extremely notable. It is such a consistently strong cast that singling out any of them for special would be unfair and to extol the virtues of each of them would take far too long. It is much better to simply say that you really should see this excellent production and judge for yourself..
Helen Dallimore plays Tessa, while Louis Fontaine and Jack Andrew alternate performances as young Joe. Their relationship counterbalances and complements that of the fantasy characters, whose tale helps mother and son to keep going and maintain a positive approach to his illness. Dallimore, who recently played Glinda in the London production of Wicked, gives a most empathetic reading to the role of Tessa. We see Tessa hiding her own fears and sadness from Joe, her braveness serving for both of them when he has his worst times and lashes out angrily at her. Fontaine played Joe on the night and he handled the difficult role well, going from moments of elation to the darkest of moods, as his illness and the treatments have their effect on him.
Together they form a powerful bond, their superb performances are convincing of their relationship that, in spite of the bad times, leads them to realise that they do indeed love one another deeply, and that that is what matters most, the same message that runs through the fantasy story taking place alongside theirs.
Just as each drawing in the book is surrounded by a border containing text, so the stage is similarly framed by designer, Anna Cordingley. Within that frame there is a large box with all four walls curtained, the hospital room, containing the bed in which Joe is confined and beside which his mother keeps watch and tries to keep his up spirits. On the other side of the stage are the musicians and downstage all of the action from the book takes place. The costumes, of course, are as fantastical as one would expect and, no doubt were great fun to design and make. Simply mentioning the name of Geoff Cobham should be sufficient to tell regular theatregoers in Australia that the lighting design will be impeccable, and it is, well up to his usual high standards.
This is a marvellous family production and the directors, Lee Lewis and Sam Strong, have brought out not only the comedy, which travels at a great pace, but also the intense emotions of Tessa and Joe, culminating in taking these juxtaposing journeys and tying them together for a gentle final few moments. This joyous work only runs for a short season so gather the family together and enjoy a great night out together.
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