Low Down

Two former jury members meet in a hotel room for a reunion. What unfolds is a story of truth, deceit, guilt and betrayal, in a gripping play by Suzie Miller, directed by Guy Masterson.

Review

Two people, a man and a woman, luggage-less, enter a hotel room. The woman is delighted at the quality on display, the man ,minimal and silent. What unfolds is a story with twists and turns, and a taughtness that holds tightly to the audience's attention.

This two-hander, written by Suzie Miller, starring Peter Phelps and Emma Jackson, is set in a hotel room, at the time of a retrial for murder, a stone's throw from the Sydney Opera House. The two have met together after a reunion of jury members at a trial where he was convinced there was no murder and she, inspired by his fervour in favour of reasonable doubt, still holds to the guilt of the accused. This is the neat backdrop to a personal narrative that explores the nature of truth, reality and the doubt we have of our own behaviour towards each other. What is really true in the sphere of human relationships?

Phelps and Jackson turn in faultless performances - their interplay creates just the right moments of comedy and intensity set at a pace and level that allows the tension of the play to build and the emotions underneath to bloom just at the right moment as the narrative progresses.

The set of the hotel in this one-location piece is perfect for the "walls closing in" feel of a story which is based on a series of revelations as the "truth" of their stories finally comes out. Guilt, justification and understanding are at the heart of this emotional journey. It's a gripping story.I won't give any of it away.

The writing has a heavy quality to it. There are so many words spoken that, too often, the actors are working overtime to deliver the script. There's too much exposition and revelation, almost too much to take in sometimes. This is what "heaviness" in a play is: it is when the script - the sheer volume of words and amount of textual content forces itself through the mouths of the cast. Less would be more in this case, but it is a testament to skilled direction and the quality of the acting, that the play still manages to engage and draw the attention in right to the very end of the play. The story itself is so well plotted that it still manages to carry the hour and a quarter.

This is top-notch acting, in a sharply directed play well worth seeing.

Reviewed by PL 10 Aug 08

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