DISCLAIMER: As a reviewer and writer, I feel it is my duty to disclose my closeness to this play to maintain reviewer integrity. Full disclosure, I know most of this cast and crew well and one of them is in fact my boyfriend, Mitchell Lee.
The Antipodes by Annie Baker is a play about a bunch of writers descending into madness over being unable to create a story as they try to produce a profitable series. Through the chaos, a monstruous beast or two is revealed, leaping from the very characters thought to be sane writers. The progression of the play embodies Littlefinger’s quote in Game of Thrones, “Chaos is a ladder” with casual small talk devolving into stories of penis headed women and a wolf bloodletting ritual courtesy of actor William Phillips. Overall, the play represents a symbolic flogging of the dead horse of story.
This adaptation of The Antipodes is directed and co-sound designed by Matthew Prest, an artist and a member of the iconic trio, Shammgods. He is no stranger to pieces centred around the concepts of story and writing, having last semester directed the AI written play, Ten Strangers in A Room.
Traditionally, as actors bow at the end of the play, they point the audience’s attention to the technicians, the crew sitting in the soundboxes. We usually forget they are even there, with so much of our attention placed on the actors. I want to change that. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the crew on their massive effort and impressive contribution to The Antipodes. This goes out to assistant directors, Luke Denvir and Cooper Savides, lighting operator Darcy Catto-Pitkin, sound operator, sound designer, lighting designer and stage manager Annika Bertinat, lighting designer and dresser Matilda Ellicott, dresser and stage manager Aurelia Guest, assistant stage manager and assistant director Charlotte Dickinson, assistant stage manager and front house manager William Phillips, lighting mentor Sam Read and photographers Tori-Lee Featon and Shanae Milnes. A play would be nothing without its crew and the people who help out behind the scenes.
Now onto the actors.
Benjamin Nosworthy comes out swinging. He plays Sandy, a seemingly cool boss who actually just wants his writers’ room to be a “Big Boys Club”. Diversity, even of thought, is a no from Sandy. Styled like a George R. R. Martin or George Lucas legendary figure, Nosworthy’s natural talent for improv, comedy and comedic timing shines through, producing raucous laughter from the audience previously seen in his work for Malcolm Whittaker’s Blind Naïve Faith. This is perfect casting on Prest’s part and a testament to Nosworthy’s acting. Benjamin Nosworthy is the one to watch. Mark my words. He will be someone someday.
Luke Denvir’s character is Dave, a misogynistic writer who was a baseball player in his previous college life. A credit to his acting, derangement is evident in Denvir’s eyes and hair as he sits down, becoming king of the soda water mound, demanding a story to be told. Messed up hair is a common trait amongst the characters as they slowly descend on their journeys into madness. The only letdown of Denvir’s performance is he is too attractive to be a writer. Sorry, but writers just do not have pretty boy faces.
Melissa Legg has the most fun in the room, playing a sleaze of a man, Danny M1, with convincing makeup beard and all. In the original script, her character is an actual male, making her acting all the more commendable. The gross gestures are all there. Legg is quite comfortable slipping into male roles, having played a lot them previously. This is where she thrives. Legg also produces many a chuckle with her rough antics, telling the story of how Danny M1 obtained and then got rid of a potential STI.
CJ Moussa’s Josh still has not got paid. And it has been three months. Someone should do something about that. Luckily, the writers’ strike is over. Moussa possesses the raciest part of the play, with a shirtless shower of canned soda water, reminiscent of an Old Spice ad. His innocent character is portrayed rather naively, unknowingly entering into an unreliable workforce. Moussa nails the dichotomy between standing up for oneself and not wanting to be rude in achieving what is owed.
Mitchell Lee’s Adam waltzes you down a dark fairytale as he recounts his ideas for the first ever story. His intimidating stance over Megan Bonaz’s Eleanor when he references particular acts committed against women is uncomfortable to watch, but purposeful. In the first act, he, along with other characters, is entertaining the crowd with some outrageous tales of their first sexual encounters. Lee’s acting produces the outrage needed when certain types of people, such as Sandy, question your capabilities due to your ethnicity and minority status.
Megan Bonaz, as stated previously, plays Eleanor, a pretty normal person, considering the other colourful characters in the room. Bonaz is very deliberate in her portrayal, every gesture, every movement. Right down to the millimetre you can see her performance is successfully calculated. And she holds her own in a male-dominated room.
Tori-Lee Joy Featon presents a bubbly, cutesy secretary in the form of Sarah, who also possesses a Hello Kitty girl dark side. Featon balances the insanity of her haunted house doll story with the happy, energetic character we come to know and love. When Sarah is finally invited into the writers’ room to take notes you can hear the hoorah for Featon. It is a satisfying conclusion to Sarah as a character, rudely interrupted by the actual ending.
William Phillips presents a fresh, comedic character in Brian with a very furry secret. It was fun to watch his great unravelling, knife, blood, wolf mask, cloak and all. While the first half has him stuck in comedic relief, the second act brings Phillips’ character catapulting to the surface, revealing the true monstrosity that lies underneath. But the mystery of who Brian is, is never solved. As someone somewhat unfamiliar with Phillips’ strengths as an actor, it was easy to tell that he did spectacular with what he was given. Phillips is a talented actor that I cannot wait to see more of. I am just sad his role was not bigger.
Cooper Savides plays two characters, the bumbling Danny M2 and the hoity-toity CEO, Max. While it seems all the actors are here to stay, much like Sandy’s infrequent appearances in the second half, Savides’ Danny M2 is soon to leave in the first act. Savides soon returns as Max near the start of act 2 via Zoom call. And yes, it is done live. It is not a recording. This showcases Savides’ skills as an actor and highlights how advances in technology change the way we think about how acting can be executed.
Overall, The Antipodes was phenomenal and I do not say that about plays often. Ask my boyfriend, not all of his plays have been to my liking. The Antipodes is different.
And with that in mind, I give it,
8 Pens out of 10 Pages
Image: Tori-Lee Featon – Stupid Photography