Love Lies Bleeding
Red Stitch Actors Theatre
July 16 – Aug 16 2008, Wed-Sat 8pm, Sun 6.30pm
I went to see a preview of the Red Stitch Actors Theatre’s latest production, Love Lies Bleeding, and was sadly disappointed.
I have recently fallen in love with the company and what they stand for. They are artistic people who love what they do and are trying their best to make a living doing it. Their two new initiatives – The Writers Program, aimed at fostering new Australian works and The Graduate Program, aimed at fostering new Australian talent – are excellent.
Unfortunately, even taking into account that it was a preview, this production lacked focus, energy and passion. The connection between the actors was almost nonexistent, except for a few rare moments.
Directed by Alice Bishop, the actors seemed to skim over the emotions necessary to believe the long histories between the characters. The short scenes connected by blackouts caused any flow of energy that could develop onstage to be interrupted.
Where was the tension? Didn’t they all know what they were there to do from the beginning? Where was the love?
Love Lies Bleeding, by New York author Don DeLillo, tells the story of an artist, Alex, who has ended up in a “persistent vegetative state” after several strokes. He lives with his fourth wife, young Lia, in the southwestern desert of the United States, where Lia does everything for him.
His second wife, Toinette, and his only son, Sean, arrive at the house to discuss the future of Alex. Should he continue to live in that state or should they help him die? Does Lia want to keep him alive for herself or for him? Does Sean want him dead because of his anger from his childhood? Where does Toinette really stand on the issue?
There was one scene – a flashback to shortly after a healthy Alex moved to the isolated desert landscape and Toinette came to visit – that had passion and connection. I could almost see the sexual tension and history between Alex (Kevin Summers) and Toinette (Christine Mahoney). When Mahoney rubbed her hands and body against the blank wall, reminiscing over keeping some of Alex’s paintings to remember his essence, her longing was visible.
Little can be said for the other relationships. The scenes at the beginning and end of the play between Alex and Lia (Olivia Connolly), after Alex had a stroke, were so cold my friend thought Lia was his nurse, not his wife.
The scenes where Sean (Tim Potter) and Lia discussed the plant names Alex was so fond of, including the name sake for the play Love-lies-bleeding, were done with such carefree glee they seemed to forget the rage and hurt of the previous scenes.
Tim Potter, the first VCA graduate accepted into The Graduate Program, played Sean with such cold anger I found it hard to see any humanity.
The minimalist set, designed by Peter Mumford, was cold and uncomfortable, adding to the lack of emotion in the production. Orange and grey splattered edges of long gone works of art were layered on the black walls, representing an artist’s studio. Alex’s wheelchair and black folding chairs covered with spots of dry paint were the only furniture. In the middle of the back wall was a screen door in front of the landscape of the desert.
The past two productions I have seen by Red Stitch have been brilliant. Hopefully the connection between the actors and the energy level will grow throughout the run and it will live up to the standard I’ve come to expect from a company with such passion.
Love Lies Bleeding plays at the Red Stitch Actors Theatre in St. Kilda until August 16. Check out their website for more details.
