Preview-Romance-Aurora Theatre
11-11-14
By: Meaghan McGurgan
"In playwriting, you’ve got to be able to write dialogue.... I think the process of writing a play is working back and forth between the moment and the whole. The moment and the whole, the fluidity of the dialogue and the necessity of a strict construction. Letting one predominate for a while and coming back and fixing it so that eventually what you do, like a pastry chef, is frost your mistakes, if you can," David Mamet. (Paris Review, 1997)
Home grown theatre company Aurora Theatre is back with their latest production, Romance, by award-winning playwright and theorist David Mamet. "This is Aurora Theatre's 10th play," says director Nicole Garbellini. "We've been around for three and half years. Our first play was Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross... The first time I read this play, I was quite in shock. Will Hong Kong audiences be ready for this play?" Nicole is a well known face on the Hong Kong stage and has appeared in countless productions since her arrival in 2005, working with various theatre companies including: ACT, Perilous Mouths, Stylus Productions, Theatron and Shakespeare in the Port, on top of her role as maestro for Aurora Theatre.
Aurora Theatre's mission statement is "to attract different people, both familiar and unfamiliar with the local English theatre scene, and introduce them to the various shows presented by us in order to create a solid, valid, creative and professional art scene in Hong Kong... to give opportunities to those individuals who are passionate about theatre, helping them to stimulate and nurture ideas and creativity as far as performing and directing are concerned. Aurora Theatre welcomes every background, ethnicity and dialect."
Mamet's Romance is described as "an uproarious, take-no-prisoners courtroom comedy that gleefully lampoons everyone from lawyers and judges, to Arabs and Jews, to gays and chiropractors. It's hay fever season and, in a courtroom, the judge is popping antihistamines. He listens to the testimony of a Jewish chiropractor who's a liar, according to his (anti-Semitic) attorney. The prosecutor, an homosexual, is having a domestic squabble with his lover who shows up crying in court. And all the while, a Middle East peace conference is taking place. David Mamet creates a world in microcosm in which shameless fawning, petty prejudices and sheer caprice hold sway, and the noble apparatus of law and order degenerates into riotous profanity."
"It is a delightfully offensive show that will get a laugh from even the most politically-correct audience members," says actor Tom McLean, who is playing the Defendant. Nicole agrees. "Audience members will either love it or hate it. It's so rude... There is no category that is safe... Mamet's tongue and cheek humor will make people think and laugh."
David Mamet is no stranger to controversy or harsh language. In 2012 he was sued by the New York Times Arts Editor, Patrick Healy for defamation and racist comments around the release of his play "The Anarchist". Known for rapid-fire dialogue, quick wit, foul language and heavy use of racial slurs in his work, Mamet is not for the faint of heart and Mamet is first to say his plays are all about the text, not about the characters.
Nicole adds, "Language is the toughest part of David Mamet's plays. The director is more like a conductor." Rehearsals for Romance have been going since the summer but the actors have enjoyed the hard work. "It's been a very professional, collaborative effort. Everyone is working to make it a successful production," says actor Matthew Gillespie, who is playing the Prosecutor. This is Matthew's second time working with Aurora Theatre, for whom he was previously onstage in Heckler winning production, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. "Exploring the characters has been the most fun for me. Because the characters are so complex, it's hard to get to who they really are."
Other members of the cast include: Tom McLean, Boaz Lo, Ben Margalith, Neil Runcieman, Alexander Wilkins and David Tsim. You might notice the absence of girls but Nicole is handling being in the boys club well, "Everyone wants to do the best work; to do justice to the play," she says with a smile. This is a team that is obviously bonded together in comradery. Bromances are bound to come out in such a testosterone filled environment, especially when two of the actors are playing gay lovers. "The embraces of Matty and Boaz bring a tear to my eye every time I see them, " laughs Tom.
It hasn't been all fun and games. Mamet is a tough playwright with serious challenges for performers. "Timing was the toughest part of the play. Getting everyone together and running at the same speed," says Matthew.
Romance is playing at the Fringe Club Underground Theatre November 18th-22nd at 7:30pm. Full price tickets are 250HKD with additional discounts for students, seniors, persons with disabilities and Fringe Club Members. Due to adult content and language this show is being recommended for ages sixteen and over. Tickets can be purchased at hkticketing.com or your nearest box office. You can contact Aurora Theatre by visiting their Facebook page.
Will anyone hate this show? "Absolutely!" Matthew Gillespie laughs. "It's a very divisive play. You will either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground."
For more information about Romance, click here.
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