Nov 20 – Gripping Local Play By Julian Felice – A Review
By Giordano Durante
As audience members took their seats for last night’s gala performance of “Catharsis”, a new play written and directed by Julian Felice, the main character Paul (played by Felice himself) was already strolling away determinedly on a treadmill.
The action had already started - perhaps it had started hours before – and, once the guests’ fidgeting subsided, we were left with the sound of the treadmill; not just a prop to simulate the nocturnal walks that are a key part of the play but a symbol of relentless activity, monotony and pointlessness.
The opening scene presents a psychological nightmare. The other cast members circle Paul obsessively, taking turns at seducing, insulting and attacking him. Paul starts his piercing self-analysis, which takes the form of a confessional. This monologue is combined with 90s dance music, a format inspired by cult films like Trainspotting.
The play explores the problems of artistic inspiration, anxiety and insomnia with lashings of dark humour and numerous references to the poems of T.S Eliot, a sort of literary fellow traveller accompanying Felice during his journey through the bleak cityscape.
Felice takes the lion’s share of the lines but his supporting actors play a vital role. In what is a minimalist set, they fill the gap as props, (two acted as a kitchen at one point), cleverly represent the conflicting aspects of Paul’s disturbed psyche, and often embody the disapproving gaze of society. One particularly effective scene involved the actors voicing a series of insistent and increasingly absurd questions which plague Paul’s mind while he’s trying to get some sleep.
There are some well-judged and frankly hilarious scenes on the triviality of office life but also a fearless and largely successful attempt to explore subjects like the purpose of one’s life while facing the certainty of death – these are big topics whose treatment, in other productions, can often be trite.
My only caveat is that I expected and would have liked the play to be darker and more surreal given its initial premise. Although I was glad to see that Paul identified some sources of hope, I think that Felice’s imagination was best exercised in those scenes where the harrowing psychological pressure on Paul was brought to life on the stage.
Felice is doing something new and fresh in the local drama scene. This play is evidence that he is not afraid to take risks and he is lucky to have recruited a team which brings together the natural ease of experience and the eagerness of youth. Dramatis Personae, in its current incarnation, is able to take on the demands associated with this play and I’m eager to see what else they’ll tackle in the future.
Praise must also go to Claire Stagnetto who co-directed with Felice and who, by his own admission in a stimulating documentary feature on GBC, serves as a reliable guide to steer the group through the rehearsal process.
My advice: without any hesitation, book your tickets now. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in Gibraltar. This play deserves all the support and recognition the theatre-going public can provide. It was disappointing, however, that some VIP guests failed to attend. It’s a shame because I’m positive they would have enjoyed this multi-layered tale of “a good guy going through a bad time.”
Catharsis is on tonight and tomorrow. Performances start 8pm at the Bayside Drama Studio. Tickets are £5/£4. For advance tickets, contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
