Theatre Now Review: Turpentine

“A moderately successful foray into a very particular style”
Kate Stratford
3 Stars

Venue Flight Path Theatre
Marrickville
Dates: Until March 1st

Turpentine by Tommy James Green, who also plays the main role of Dr Raymond Crow, is in the style of Victorian Gothic owing much of its context to Frankenstein, a little to Sweeney Todd and something to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A child dies and his distraught mother Cynthia, with the help of her mute brother Percy, smuggles the body to the cellar of the gin-soaked doctor Crow who, it seems, has a reputation for doing dastardly deeds with electricity. She spends the first half of the play cajoling the doctor into re-animating the dead boy.

Much of the interchange of Act 1 was lost for lack of clarity in speech and in places, script. There was also some confusion as to the style. Victorian Gothic uses family secrets, macabre encounters with the supernatural and gloomy atmospheres. The acting for this style is highly exaggerated emotions, dramatic gestures, intense facial expressions, and a focus on creating a sense of mystery, suspense and fear through vocal delivery and physical movement . The use of witticism in Turpentine suggests an intention to trip over into Victorian Gothic Melodrama, which is an even more demanding form; delivery has to be overblown and character posturing is inherent. “Strike the pose” could be the catchphrase. Tommy James Green seemed to be the only member of the ensemble who had the physical discipline to embrace this style. As with all theatre, regardless of style, the cast need to believe so the audience believes.

There was good use of the stairs to give a sense of the cellar’s access to the outside and a suggestion of descending into the Doctor’s hell. The lighting however fluctuated for no apparent reason. In this genre, lighting is a large part of mood and should pre-predominantly be built on the ambers of candlelight and shadowy, threatening corners. Likewise, some costuming choices indicated a lack of research into the period (bustles were worn under skits, not on top) and colours need to be rich and dark, never bright.

Green gave it his all but there simply was not enough theatrical substance to support him. A moderately successful foray into a very particular style. It simply felt that not enough research and attention had been paid to this style and period by designers and cast; that all the work in this area had been left to Green.

Turpentine is a new work playing at the Flight Path Theatre until March 1^st.

Kate Stratford, Theatre Now