Stirling Community Theatre
Reviewed Sunday March 21st 2010
Presented by The Stirling Players
http://www.stirlingplayers.sct.org.au/index.html
Venue: Stirling Community Theatre, Avenue Road, Stirling
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes including interval
Season: Fri. & Sat. 26, 27 March at 8.00pm
Tickets: $17 adults, $15 concession, $12 groups of 10 or more
Bookings: ‘Wishes For You’, 51 Mt Barker Road, Stirling 8339 4055
Vintery, mintery, cutery, corn,
Apple seed and apple thorn,
Wire, briar, limber lock
Three geese in a flock
One flew East
One flew West
And one flew over the cuckoo’s nest.
A psychiatric hospital, based on the real institution, Pendleton, receives a new patient, the unconventional and disruptive Randle Patrick McMurphy. He has been transferred from a work gang, where he was serving a sentence for battery, having faked insanity in order to serve his sentence in the hospital rather than by performing hard labour. He immediately begins to inject chaos into the ordered world of ‘The Big Nurse’, Nurse Ratched. Dale Wasserman’s 1963 play, adapted from Ken Kesey’s 1959 novel, is set in Oregon and deals with this clash of personalities and the effects these two people have on those around them. In the book the action is seen through the eyes of the giant North American half-Indian, Chief Bromden, who has been there since the end of the Second World War and who pretends to be deaf and dumb.
McMurphy clashes at all points with Nurse Ratched’s rules and regulations, but laughs it off thinking that his stay will be short. He introduces gambling, at one point betting that he can lift an extremely heavy control panel, but fails. He states that at least he tried, inspiring the inmates to begin to stand up against the Big Nurse. He also discovers that the Chief can both speak and hear and they become friends. Following a fracas they both receive electric shock therapy. Ultimately, he realises that most of the inmates are there voluntarily and can leave at any time, but that he is not going to be automatically released at the end of his short prison sentence. Having been committed to the asylum as insane, it is now up to the authorities to decide how long he must stay and what treatments he must endure. He cannot leave until Nurse Ratched, who runs roughshod over Doctor Spivey and makes his decisions for him, declares him sane.
Assisted by the kindly night time aide, Turkle, McMurphy holds a clandestine party, providing alcohol and two prostitutes, one of whom he persuades to seduce the stuttering virgin, Billy Babbit. Nurse Ratched catches them and browbeats Billy for what he has done, driving him to suicide. McMurphy attacks her, attempting to strangle her and causing her serious harm. The Chief joins in, attacking the aides. McMurphy is later subjected to a lobotomy. When he returns from surgery the Chief smothers him, knowing that he would not want to live that way. The chief tears out the heavy electrical control panel, although the end of the play is weakened a little as he does not throw it through the window to effect his escape.
Steve Parker takes the role of McMurphy and makes it his own in a bravura performance, with Stefan Neszpar providing a powerful presence as Chief Bromden. These two could easily dominate the stage were it not for the fact that this is a very well cast production where even the minor roles draw one’s attention. There is a fine eye for detail in Hayley Horton’s direction of this work that has resulted in some excellent characterisations. Parker and Neszpar form the rock upon which the production is built and a more solid foundation would be hard to find. Their performances are entirely convincing and totally captivating.
Tracey Walker also does a good job in the oppositional role of Nurse Ratched, although she could let us see a little more of the iron hand lurking in that velvet glove by exhibiting some more authority in her movement and body language and occasionally using a harsher tone of voice.
Lindsay Dunn plays Dale Harding, the spokesman for the card playing group, and the inmates as a whole, prior to McMurphy’s arrival. He happily steps aside to allow McMurphy to become the “Bull Goose Looney”. Dunn gives a nicely measured performance in the role, conveying well his conflict between obeying the rules and enjoying McMurphy’s antics. Todd Clappis is superb as, Billy Bibbit, berated by Nurse Ratched, threatened by her suggestions that she will have to report his behavioural failures to his mother. He avoids the pitfalls of overplaying the role and descending into caricature giving, instead, a very believable and well wrought characterisation.
Alison Scharber and Julie Dickson inject plenty of energy and enthusiasm as Candy and Sandy, the two prostitutes, a big contrast to their other roles as the two rather stiff and prim nurses, Flynn and Nakamura. It is, however, the marvellous work of all of the cast members that makes this such a fine production, with committed and consistent performances from everybody, even those with few or no lines.
Dennis Peach’s set and Richard Parkhill’s lighting, along with Viki Burrett’s costumes, aid greatly in creating the right atmosphere of time and place. There is still time to catch a performance of this excellent production but be quick.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Glam Adelaide Arts Editor
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