Moral compromises in high-stakes professions.
Kate Stratford
3.5 Stars
Venue: Ensemble Theatre
Sydney (Kirribilli)
Dates; Until 12th September
David Williamson’s Top Silk sits very much inside his oeuvre – former university left-wing students are now middle-class professionals earning good money and troubled by their social conscience and aspirations. Structurally it is somewhat televisual, consisting of a series of short dialogue scenes which locate the play in many places. This works for film. But less well on stage where dramatic tension is interrupted by the many transitions which inhibit that profound insight which is so evident in many of his other works.
On the surface, Legal-aid solicitor Jane Fredericks (Rachel Gordon) and her barrister husband Trevor (Nicholas Brown) battle over their careers and their family. What we are left to consider is the thin line between that which is “just” and “justice”. How much should we compromise our core beliefs to achieve what we believe is a “just outcome”? The old, old question- does the end justify the means? Can it ever? In taking that step over the thin line, how far is too far? Williamson provides snappy little vignettes to explore this ethical and moral question with trademark comedic one-liners but there is also a sense of issues being laid open without being fully investigated.
On opening night the rhythms of Act 1 were somewhat uneven with a strong sense of the fast and the furious about it. It needed to breathe a little more – we needed “breaths”. Act 2 settled down. This second half gave us more moments of introspection; central characters were allowed to linger and isolate in a spotlight as their internal struggles were given more space. There are times of understanding and connectivity for the audience and Act 2 is a little late.
The two leads are surrounded by highly experienced professionals. Jeremy Waters Eddie O’Donnel was a complete, beautifully drawn characterization as was Samir Nasser’s Marc who was pretty much every 17/18 year old one may ever come across (paradoxically charming and annoying at the same time). Thomas Campbell’s Paul Bradley was suitably menacing as only the powerful can be in this thinly veiled portrait of Rupert Murdoch. (Come on, everyone in the audience knew who he was from his opening line and costume!)
In the lead couple we see the 1980s struggle of women attempting to break into a traditional male field. She may be a lawyer but is relegated to the nurturing role of a legal-aid solicitor. It is a deliberate ploy to limit her agency and illustrate just how testosterone driven – rather than justice orientated – are the worlds of politics and law. Gordon’s Jane grew into assurance and as she did so, fiddled less with her hair. In Top Silk, the rarified air of the barrister belongs to the patriarchy (of course) and this is never so evident as in the final court scene. Struggling with career ambitions and political pressures, Brown’s performance did not quite capture the character’s internal struggle of idealism versus pragmatism. This should come as the play settles in and he relaxes into character. The remainder of the supporting cast included Sydney favourites Laurence Coy and Jamie Oxenbould in roles depicting colleagues and political figures that heightened the play’s satire on corruption and ambition.
It is a simple set and costume design, serving the play’s many locations but perhaps lacking a little in metaphor. The set does foreshadow the final court scene but the sense of everyone being on trial all the time does not quite come off.
The great writer himself was in the audience and kudos to David Williamson who always tries to show up to any production of his work. He is a key figure in Australian literature, one of that New Wave who so decidedly steered Australian theatre companies away from regurgitating British drawing room plays and offered instead, profound insights into Australian society and way of life. A legacy to be honoured.
photos by Prudence Upton
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
