TOXIC will unfold at Qtopia Substation in Sydney, tracing queer intimacy, addiction, and connection within a fractured Madchester setting.
Madchester
Manchester, UK: what is it best known for - 2 great soccer teams; "Coronation St".; Rolls Royce; the Industrial Revolution; Oasis; "Queer As Folk" & 'Madchester' - the biggest gay village in Europe. In the 1990s Madchester teemed with LGBTIQ+ visitors from all over Europe & the UK, attracted by the allure of fun, fun, fun, and sex, drugs & Britney Spears.
TOXIC is set in 2017 and some of the sparkle has gone off Canal Road, the main artery of Madchester, but not entirely. One night at a queer warehouse party two young men seeking fun and connection, meet and fall madly in lust. A - the 'Writer', as he refers to himself, is young, blonde and introverted; he rarely ventures out on the scene, doesn't take drugs and is HIV +, the result of a single encounter when 16. B - the 'Performer', is mixed race, loves to party & take drugs, and is HIV -.
After the dancing ... The sex
After the dancing comes the sex, and after the sex comes the 'getting to know you' conversation. Writer (Patrick Phillips) & Performer (Bash Nelson) sit on a bench and talk to each other (read: 'us') about their life stories - just sit and talk, for quite a while. It's all the usual gay stuff, the sort of thing we've heard a thousand times before - their parents & their relationship with them, their 'coming out', their sex lives, and how they arrived at this moment. In the process they also raise issues of racism, homophobia, HIV stigma & guilt, issues which will cast a long shadow, shaping their relationship despite their best efforts to avoid it happening. It's a lot of exposition, presented in a surprisingly unimaginative way, given the wider context. Hall's play is full of good intentions, and refers to legitimate concerns, unfortunately it is also rather superficial in its approach, lacking depth and a fresh, original take on these subjects.
Breaking The 4th Wall
There is a tendency for writers today to have actors break the 4th wall and address the audience, then quickly pivot back to existing in the reality of the play. Too often it is a mark of lazy writing, all 'tell' and no 'show'. It is quick and easy, but not dramatic. This is the problem with having only two actors/characters on stage - it limits the dramatic potential. The absence of other voices and world views results in a 2-dimensional quality which prevents the bigger issues from having any real heft.
The script is not helped by the uninspired direction, set design, and overall production values. The heavy reliance on black milk crates as furniture, the potted plastic plants, the cluster of props and books and objects tucked in a corner, mostly unused, simply created focus-pulling visual clutter. There is an old adage, "Never put anything on stage that isn't necessary". While the bed was a necessary element, its placement dominated the stage. Perhaps that was intentional, underscoring the fundamental sexual nature of their relationship, but given that so much action took place outside the bedroom, its presence seemed intrusive rather than symbolic.
Heavy Lifting
Gavin Roach is an experienced and skilled director. Unfortunately, little of that skill is evident here. The direction appeared devoid of ideas, and those that existed were tentative at best, e.g. the treatment of the space. Was it naturalistic? The scenes in the bed would suggest that, but at other times it was treated as a fluid, liminal space. In a small, no-frills performance space like the Qtopia Substation, lighting and sound can do a lot of the heavy lifting to create atmosphere and contribute to the world-building, but they were not employed to anywhere near their full potential, especially in the warehouse party scene or the Britney Spears concert where it is all about lights and sound.
Finding Their Groove
Given all the above, it can seem unfair to demand too much from the actors. When they lack the benefits of a strong script, clever design and meticulous direction, an actor can be left floundering. Fortunately, for all our sakes, the Writer's relationship with the Performer soon hit the rocks about half way through, and the ensuing conflict lifted the energy on stage and the audience engagement. Up until the disastrous 'birthday party scene' the performances had been stiff and uncertain. The transition from campy introduction delivered straight to the audience back into the narrative proper, was awkward and resulted in performances that lacked clarity or commitment. However, once the relationship started to break down, Phillips and Nelson settled into a groove and connected with their characters, at which point we did too. The second half of the play was a more satisfying experience, and almost made one overlook the script's deficiencies. 2.5 stars
TOXIC by Nathaniel J. Hall, is playing at the Substation Theatre, Taylor Square for two more weeks
Reviewed by: Nick Bennett
Photos by: @robertcatto