Switzerland at Bille Brown Studio, QTC - Review

Switzerland at Bille Brown Studio, QTC - Review

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Posted 2016-05-28 by Damsel Martinfollow

Fri 20 May 2016 - Sun 26 Jun 2016


Official records state that enigmatic American writer Patricia Highsmith died in exile, and alone. But according to the rich imaginings of Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, whose play Switzerland the Queensland Theatre Company has brilliantly brought to life for a limited season, it's clear that Highsmith died in the arms of her beloved anti-hero Tom Ripley (he of The Talented Mr Ripley and four other novels collectively dubbed the Ripliad).

Switzerland opens with the reclusive and terminally ill Highsmith (played by Andrea Moor) reluctantly greeting the publisher's representative Edward Ridgeway (played by Matthew Backer). He comes bearing gifts, and an unflagging determination to woo one last Ripley novel out of the writer. His youthful enthusiasm provides a counterpoint to the bitterness and cynicism embodied by Highsmith, who (like her most famous psychopathic serial killer character) is thoroughly at ease with her own dark side, adept at spotting and exploiting others' weaknesses, and strangely fascinating to boot.


The power struggle that ensues between the pair is darkly funny. Moor owns her character, portraying Highsmith in all her breathtaking complexity - shifting from insensitive to obsessive to vulnerable to envious to insufferable in seemingly a single breath. The chameleon-like Backer, too, delivers a powerful performance, at points evoking pity, respect, frustration and, finally, fear.

Director Paige Rattray explores notions of choice and control - amply available to Highsmith in her fictional worlds, but elusive in real life. 'The woman who spent her life meticulously planning so many deliciously interesting murders is now faced head on with her quickly approaching and uneventful - possibly boring - death, one not at all worthy of a great writer,' she says. 'This question lies at the core of our production of Switzerland .'


Highsmith's real house in Switzerland served as inspiration for designer Anthony Spinaze who has created an irregularly shaped and unsettling stage showcasing the writer's collection of knives, guns and other weapons. This uneasiness is amplified by the moody shadows of Ben Hughes' lighting, and Steve Toulmin's haunting musical composition.

Switzerland is comprised of layer upon layer of nuance and meaning and, like Highsmith's own psychological thrillers, it probes relentlessly at the motivations underlying actions. Why did Highsmith revere her miserable childhood? What compels her to leave her homeland and hole up halfway around the world? What sort of person forgoes flesh and blood in favour of a fictional seduction? You'll be pondering these questions long after the actors' final bow.

Switzerland is being performed in the Queensland Theatre Company's Bille Brown Studio, with its intimate Off-Broadway vibe, until 26 June.



#books_writing
#brisbane_city
#literary
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#theatre
#theatre -reviews
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#may
#june
!date 20/05/2016 -- 26/06/2016
%wnbrisbane
139504 - 2023-06-13 15:41:40

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