“If you are a Hitchcock aficionado you may be a little bemused by this take on a classic noir thriller but for a reinterpretation which delivers entertainment in style and with humour, North by Northwest at the Lyric theatre just may be your night out.“ –
Kate Stratford
3.5 /5 Macguffins
I did not know North by Northwest was a comedy! Being something of a Hitchcock and Cary Grant fan, I was initially a little surprised at the re-interpretation of this classic noir thriller as a noir comedy; played so straight that at times it was hard to tell that author Carolyn Burns and director Simon Phillips were going for comedy – as more of a tribute than a satire of the original. Phillips does not try to be Hitchcock, and Burns’ script is more of a homage to Ernest Lehman’s screenplay – but there is a strong sense of the appreciation of the genius of both men.
That you are in for something a little left-field is set up in the title sequence, where a smallish cast play alphabet games with letters against a set which invokes the mid-century design used in the film. Nick Schlieper’s precocious set and lighting is the hero of this production. Up against the freedom of location that film enjoys, the design must underscore that the hero is a man immersed in wealth, power and prestige – none of which are of any use to him when he is abducted from the supposed safety of the Plaza Hotel. As our hero, now mistaken for a spy, goes on his incredible adventure, he continues to be surrounded by examples of Modernist luxury, completely useless now. Of course, there is a reason for this; it feeds the theme of isolation amidst luxury which culminates in the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Vandamm house which overlooks Mt Rushmore. Here, the hero and heroine are most at peril. The height of cold war affluence is a dangerous place to be.
Another challenge for the designers was re-creating the extensive use of matte photography in the film. Matting combines a real scene shot on a real set with fictional elements; and this is where Josh Burn’s skills as an audio-visual designer step up to meet Schlieper’s design. In keeping with the comic and somewhat Brechtian approach to delivery, the method of creating visual effects was largely enjoyed by the audience and played well into the overall concept. Mt Rushmore, in particular, drew much laughter and THAT chase scene – the one which has been copied, satirised and re-invented so often – undergoes a comic re-take which whilst drawing laughter, also took some of the tension out of the thrill.
Modernist style is urbane, elegant and sophisticated. Hitchcock himself was so obsessed with the look that he oversaw all the costumes choices in the film. He could have left the job to Esther Marie Hayes, whose work would make any Bergdoff salesperson proud. Bernard Hermann’s original, economical music score is given a dusting off by Ian Mcdonald and the suspense motif plays whenever the tension needs to be augmented. Sound is a subtle but effective component of North by Northwest.
Against all this cleverness of design the actors must play. In a cast of twelve, eleven take on multiple roles. David Campbell is the ever bewildered and increasingly angry Roger O. Thornhill. He is a Madman – a Maddison Ave advertising executive who in this scenario, has to rely completely on his instincts to survive. The mid-century profile extends to his personality for it too is urbane and sophisticated, a façade he clings desperately to as the danger ratchets up. It is this underlying sense of desperation which is not quite there and which may have been sacrificed to comedy. Amber McMahon as the Hitchcock Blonde does a fine line in the Mata Hari role of the seductive, mysterious Eve Kendall, whilst unobtrusively also managing to fill in about six other extras roles. There are some nice edges of increasing nervousness and fear here, especially in Act 2. Stalwarts of Australian theatre Genevieve Lemon, Bert Labonte and Sharon Millerchip enjoy themselves delivering a vast array of roles with some notable cameos in an ensemble who move seamlessly to create the many scenes and effects. This team created lobbies and airports and hotel rooms with efficient precision, culminating in a dangerous climb by the hero and heroine across the face of Mt Rushmore in a choreography which was menacingly edgy.
If you are a Hitchcock aficionado you may be a little bemused by this take on a classic noir thriller but for a reinterpretation which delivers entertainment in style and with humour, North by Northwest at the Lyric theatre just may be your night out.
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
Images: Daniel Boud
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