Wellington Oracle

Review by Lesley Buxton

Sexual Perversity in Chicago
By David Mamet

David Mamet is the original bad boy of theatre and to be frank, I’ve always had a soft spot for him. He has the audacity to be brutally honest. This is why “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” is still as compelling as when first produced in 1976. Though the language this play is no longer disturbing, the subject matter still should be. Initially this play appears to be an everyday romance. Danny and Deborah meet, fall in love while their friends, Bernie and Joan watch from the sidelines. Yet what Mamet is really exploring is misogyny. How it shapes relationships between genders as well as its role in male bonding.

Nobody, in my opinion, writes dialogue like Mamet: comedic, rhythmic, streetwise, and imbued in truthful conflict.  The language is so seductive that actors frequently forget to fully explore the potential of the characters because they seem to expect the dialogue to do the work. At times this is the case with Ottawa Chamber’s theatre latest offering; the play is the star of the production and the actors (with the exception of Garrett Quirk, who plays Bernie) are its sidekicks.

The shortcomings of this production are largely due to inexperience. This is after-all a young director and cast. Though the characters in this play are young, they are demanding.  This is why it is important to have a strong director. Regrettably, director, Will Somers fails to explore the sexual and emotional tension between the characters of this piece. Particularly in scenes such as where Bernie tries to pick up Deborah’s roommate, Joan, and Danny introduces Deborah to Bernie. These scenes should have crackled with energy.

The space in the Carleton Tavern could have been used more creatively. It might have been intriguing to set different parts of the play around the space. Also, I found the costumes rather uninspiring. I didn’t think they were definite enough. Was it 1976 or 2009? The preshow music, which began with the Sex Pistols, led me to believe it was the seventies but I was never sure, even after Robin Meyer Macleod’s performance of Layla. I enjoyed the live music throughout the play. It would have been nice if Robin’s bio had been included in the programme.

Garrett Quirk is marvelous as the sex-obsessed Bernie. Even while telling  his crassest stories he manages to charm. My only criticism of his performance would be in the scene where he reveals he was sexually assaulted as a child. These revealing lines were not as charged as they could be. Matt Smith’s Danny  had a sweet naivety which was very compelling. This was especially true of the scene in which he and Deborah (Elise Gautier) go to bed. This too is where I felt Ms. Gautier did her best work. All in all, I didn’t feel that either of female actors fully embodied their roles, though they both did have some nice moments. Lisa Aitkin’s Joan was at her best in the classroom with her young students. I wished she could have pushed herself to discover the reason behind Joan’s anger.

This uneven production has flashes of poignancy, humour and is loaded with promise and definitely worth seeing. It’s proof that well-written plays get better with time.

David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago runs January 14-17th and 21rst to 24th at the Carleton Tavern – 223 Armstrong Street at Parkdale
(Wednesdays, Fridays at 7:30pm, Thursdays at 10:00pm, Saturdays at 5:00pm)