Review: THE PRIDE Examines The Expression And Repression Of Love In Two Different Eras And Explores The Progression And Distance Still To Go For Acceptance.

Wednesday 10th February 2016, 8pm, Eternity Playhouse, Darlinghurst

Confronting, heartbreaking, and also hilarious, THE PRIDE draws the audience into two worlds, 50 years apart, highlighting that the horrific denial of love was not such a distant memory and still remains a challenge. Alexi Kaye Campbell's Award Winning play returns to the Australian stage as part of the 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival under the crisp direction of Shane Bosher.

The work is set in London, fifty years apart. It starts in 1958, a time which still had the Offences Against The Person Act of 1828 which replaced King Henry VIII's Buggery Act of 1533, both of which criminalized the act but was no longer punishable by death since 1861. The second part of the work is set in 2008, by which time homosexuality had been decriminalized in 2001, The Civil Partnership Act passed in 2004 and the Equality Act became law in 2007.

Lucilla Smith as dressed the stage as a minimalistic living room that serves both eras well with the height of 1950's interior design and a retro feel in the 21st Century. The floor is a dark parquetry and the wall with the entrance door is an unadorned dark grey rag-rolled concrete. Lisa Mimmocchi has created costumes that capture the eras instantly, an important aspect with the consistent set. Marty Jamison has created a beautiful soundscape that doesn't overpower and Verity Hampson's lighting helps define the scenes and increase the mood.

The story moves between the two eras, each containing characters with the same names and the same ages. 1958 Oliver (Matt Minto) is a gay writer of children's storybooks who works with illustrator Sylvia (Geraldine Hakewill), a former actress, who has seen the effects of the persecution of homosexual friends in the past. Phillip (Simon London) is Sylvia's real estate agent husband who wishes for a simple, 'traditional', 'wholesome' life where his wife would be enough. 2008 Oliver is a journalist with a predilection to rough sex with strangers whilst Philip is his lover and partner that has finally had enough of Oliver's deviations. Sylvia is Oliver's best friend who is also looking for love of her own, if only Oliver wouldn't monopolize all her time. The ensemble is rounded out by Kyle Kazmarzik who takes on a variety of small roles in both eras, moulding into the various characters in appearance and sound with often hilarious results.

Minto is stunning, providing a distinctly different Oliver for each era. As the 1958 Oliver, there is a polite hesitance and gentleness along with a sadness of a man that wants to be loved in a society where the love he needs is illegal and needs to be kept secret. There is the pain as he falls in love with someone that is struggling with their own acceptance of their desire. The modern Oliver is bolder but also pathetic in his desperation to try to understand why he engages in destructive behaviour that has cost him his relationship. Whilst 1958 Oliver was quiet and reserved in a world where he can't openly express his sexuality, 2008 Oliver is brash and needy as he 'benefits' from the freer modern world that has made sex more accessible.

London's smaller frame is a contrast to Minto's solid stature which adds to the differentiation between the characters personalities. London captures 1958 Phillip's 'proper' polite, repressed nature of a man that wants to conform to society's expectations of a young husband. His response to his feelings is representative of an era that still treated gay love as a sickness and undertook such horrors as chemical castration and aversion therapy thinking that homosexual desire could be 'cured'. London gives 2008 Phillip a similar struggle for understanding as, whilst he can be openly gay in modern London, he struggles to understand Oliver's need to stray and be promiscuous.

Sylvia provides a conduit for understanding for both eras and Hakewill captures the young wife and best friend well. As 1958 Sylvia, Hakewill expresses that the dutiful wife is a realist, aware of the different types of love that exist and not judging the people for it but still expressing a sadness as she realizes that she won't experience the love she needs from her husband. She gives 1958 Sylvia a quiet formality of a dutiful housewife and adoring employee in contrast with 2008 Sylvia who is the best friend that, whilst consoling Oliver, is also willing to boldly scold him and push him to take control of his life. Interestingly, Campbell uses 2008 Sylvia to express the advancement of the move for equality along with the disappointment at the modern era for devaluing the progress and also disgust at the continued lack of understanding as evidenced by comments she recounts hearing about marriage equality.

Bosher has kept the 2hour, 45 minute work (including interval) moving well with smooth transitions between the eras. The cast capture the rollercoaster of emotions with sensitivity and humour and also some confronting images presented with the honesty needed to ensure the gravity of the situation is understood. He has ensured that the characters have a realism and don't drift into caricature, apart from Kazmarzik's portrayal of the smaller roles that need to come in and make a quick impact.

THE PRIDE is a thought provoking work that challenges the audience to see how far the fight for equality has come and how far it still has to go. Whilst focusing on gay relationships, it is also a universal story on love, the quest for happiness, friendship, the challenge of faithfulness, forgiveness and the concept that relationships no longer need to fit a standard set by society. Whilst presented as part of the 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, this should be seen by audiences of all backgrounds, persuasions and ages.

Photos: Helen White

THE PRIDE
Darlinghurst Theatre Co
Eternity Playhouse , 39 Burton St Darlinghurst
5 February - 6 March 2016

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