‘Stage of Desire’ // Salty Crew Productions
‘Stage of Desire’ was seductive.
A sprinkling of glitz and glamour took over KSP Theatre this week as Salty Crew Productions latest work ‘Stage of Desire’ graced the venue. This original play, written and directed by Kelly McQueen – O’Neill, was set in the roaring twenties and featured four well-known Brisbane actors in the leading roles.
The story was as the title suggested, literally a ‘stage of desire’, with the characters grappling with their temptations and desires, unspoken and hidden wants and forbidden love. Ciaran Kowald played the character of Maxwell Worthington, the owner of the theatre who staged grand plays. His office furnished with a fluffy chaise lounge for important casting decisions, and a drinks trolley which was fully stocked with liquor to get him through his long days and nights. His leading lady, Victoria Grayham, played by the fabulous Izabela Wasilewska, was his long term ‘friend’ who desired to be his leading lady in life as well as on the stage.
When Maxell is introduced to a new producer, Eleanor Anderson, played by the beautiful Melanie Pryde, he is quickly smitten. His desire to have her is not shaken by the fact that she is engaged to the extraordinarily wealthy, Reginald Winston, played by the smooth Gary Farmer-Trickett.
The tension of the story increases as the wedding day approaches for Reginald and Eleanor, although as far as storyline goes, McQueen-O’Neill has kept it simple. The plot is straightforward and focuses on the primal hunger for sex and a deeper longing for spiritual connection and togetherness. All four lead actors were united in their strong delivery of text, creating an almost four-way love square of closeness and yearning.
This is the first play written by McQueen-O’Neill and the audience really enjoyed it. As a script, some further development of the characters and their motivations might have worked to flesh out the plot, although the audience were captured by the quality of the acting and direction, and the comedy the ‘web of lust’ created. Izabela Wasilewska is a comedy genius and it is impossible to watch a show with her playing a comedy role without your face hurting. Her hilarious facial expressions and timing are an asset to any production. Pryde is exceptionally beautiful and graceful in her movement and often plays the sweet, ‘good girl’ roles. This show was no exception, as she brought her innocent character to life and carefully navigated the line between the melodramatic lines and a believable authenticity of her loyalty to her fiancée, Reginald. Likewise, Kowald has featured in many murder-mystery type shows and has a knack for playing the lovestruck gentleman. He brought energy and focus to the character of Maxwell and kept the audience chuckling as he continually ‘failed to notice’ his long term friend, Victoria, practically throwing her chest in his face. The expertise of Farmer-Trickett as Reginald completed this four-strong lead love-square. Farmer-Trickett had the audience onside and was able to expertly deliver the goods, when the plot took a surprising twist. Although there were four ensemble cast members as well, they fulfilled a more functional role in changing the set and it might have been nice to have them incorporated character-wise into the script.
The soundtrack created for this production was exceptional, with its postmodern jukebox style. Each scene change featured a contemporary song relevant to the characters’ emotions but with classic stringed instruments. An example of this was the strings version of ‘Dancing on my own’ by Robyn and Berger. The use of this style of music linked the 1920s era to the show’s contemporary audience and reminded us that love, passion, loyalty and temptation are timeless.
The direction of the dramatic action was good, however the actual choices of the staging of the piece overall, could’ve been managed more economically to help the show run more smoothly. Use of the mid curtain or the stage apron for the grand set pieces would have given the production more fluidity. The scenes of the play were quite short and took place in different locations and times, and this created a challenge for both the set and the costuming, with actors changing regularly to reflect the storyline. Thankfully, the clever use of style of music and the glamourous costuming meant that the scene delays were quickly forgiven. It is always refreshing and wonderful to see original works in the community theatre sphere. As a first work of this style for McQueen-O’Neill and Salty Crew Productions, this show was promising. Cheese platters for sale, cocktails, popcorn and fun music, and these four vibrant actors at the helm to bring some sparkle to the evening …. all proved for a fun night out.
‘Stage of Desire’ was performed until Saturday 27th April at KSP Theatre. For more information visit the Salty Crew Productions on socials.
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