AUGUST 7
Cosi success rolls on

Louis Nowra’s Cosi is one of the most successful Australian plays and in 1996 was also developed into a very well received film. A new production of Cosi premiered last week in London at the key fringe theatre venue, The White Bear Theatre, starring Mark Little, best known for his role of Joe Mangel on Neighbours. Set in the early 70’s Cosi centres around the story of newly graduated young theatre director Lewis whose first gig is to direct a bunch of patients from a Melbourne mental institution in a play. While the war with Vietnam rages outside, politics inside the asylum are just as heated.

The ringleader of the group Roy insists that they perform Cosi Fan Tutte, an opera he is truly passionate about. Lewis has his work cut out for him. The patients have barely acted before let alone do they speak or even sing Italian. Lewis’ university buddies are loading on the pressure to help with the organisation of Australia’s biggest protest against the Vietnam War, leaving him torn as to where to place his focus. Questioning where he should dedicate his time brings to the fore whether it is madder in or out of the institution. Cosi takes the audience through the rehearsal process of the play all the way to the live production itself.

With an excellent ensemble cast who spend an epic amount of time on stage, particularly Matthew Burton (Lewis) and Mark Little (Roy) this production of Cosi is engaging and warm. The characters are for the most part well defined and all have a story to tell. Cosi’s characters are all looking for some type of fulfilment. The patients and Lewis all give themselves over to a project that at first seems bigger than all of them but by getting up and giving it a go their big/little show turns out to be absolutely magical. This production and its performers manage to keep the audience spellbound by what is a beautiful, absolutely hilarious and at times deeply emotional story.

It really is the male actors who shine in this production. Burton is strong as the ever patient Lewis and when his relationship with patient Julie escalates to a deeper level we see yet more layers to his character. His fight scene with close university friend Nick played by the talented Joel Elferink is alive and thoroughly engaging. Elferink juggles the roles of two very different characters well, taking it all in his stride. However he really comes into his own with the role of Nick where his smug attitude and smarmy comments see him own the stage for a little while. Neil Summerville oddly enough plays a female role, perhaps a transsexual, but perhaps just a woman played by a man. It is never made clear, but Summerville plays Ruth with great skill and he cleverly balances her ‘madness’ as an uptight perfectionist, with the delightful under layer revealing her as a passionate, sensitive woman who cares deeply about her involvement in the production of Cosi.

The stand-out performances come from Mark Little as the wildly passionate, often disturbed Roy. Little commands the character of Roy with a happy balance of keeping a lid on his madness making him out to be ever the eccentric but all in all quite sane, but then every now and then he lets a small amount of his insanity and madness seep out the sides bringing the audience bumping back to earth. His exquisite portrayal of the Mozart obsessed Roy is completely captivating and Little really makes this role his own.

David Price completely transforms himself through the character of Henry. From the catatonic recluse who doesn’t speak, Henry changes through the rehearsal process to become a stuttering yet passionate addition to the cast. What pulls him from the darkness is his determination to honour his soldier father’s memory. Even when he is not speaking you are drawn to watch Price on stage. His engaging persona is a powerful part of this ensemble and he engineers one of the funniest moments in the play when he literally runs around the theatre to dispel a curse.

Mackenzie Scott is powerful as pyromaniac Doug and what would a play about mad people be without a bit of nudity in a backless hospital gown! Drug addicted, but musically talented Zac is played by a committed and talented Nathan Godkin.

Tess Butler playing both Lewis’ love interests, his girlfriend Lucy and mental patient Julie is as strong as her character allows. To be fair the female characters, especially Lucy are rather more two dimensional than their male counterparts. Perhaps more separation is needed by Butler between her characters and this is likely to improve over the length of the run. Monique Benoiton playing Lewis obsessed Cherry slightly overplayed in the wrong direction. Benoiton has an opportunity to push Cherry further both physically and mentally. Although there are some very funny moments, the quick snap changes of Cherry’s split personality, sane versus mad had their lines blurred by Benoiton and therefore as a result Cherry had less of an impact on the audience.

I thoroughly recommend any Aussies missing home (even if you don’t think you are) to go and see this absolutely magical production complete with authentic Aussie accents both real and fake. Cosi is a few hours of delightful escapist comedy. Chaotic, wildly physical and a complete rollercoaster ride of a play within a play with a finale that would almost rival the film version! Fringe theatre at its best, you would be mad to miss it!


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