OBSERVER: Death, Deceit and Ducks
Club Voltaire was the perfect venue for this collection of six vignettes by Cerise de Gelder.
Tucked away in Raglan St, North Melbourne, accessed by a narrow stairwell, and with drapery across the ceiling, the venue had the intimacy needed for these explorations of people’s foibles.
Gelder’s scenarios were quirky and comic touching, as they did, on the absurd side of life.
Most included some reference to Death, Deceit and Ducks, hence the title of the collection.
Emily was the second child of a pair of identical twins and never quite as good as her older sister.
Andrew developed a close relationship with a duck. Geoff had only 10 minutes to live.
These explorations offered a sense of pathos alleviated by the ridiculous. At the same time, the scenarios and extremes of conduct were feasible.
The ridiculous met with reality. And it was often through Gelder’s word play that the comedy came to the fore.
The cast took on multiple roles. (Nadia Andary, Tref Gare, Brigitte Jarvis, Ross Larkin).
The performers were completely at home with their characterisations enjoying the chance to revel in both the nonsense and the personalities of the characters they inhabited. Taking on an accent or mannerism to evoke an identity seemed effortless.
And director, Natasha Broadstock, had all four of her charges on stage able to assist with whoever was performing despite not being in a given scene.
As an evening out, you probably couldn’t find better.
The atmosphere was convivial, the subject matter controversial, in as much as it pricked the pretensions of people’s behaviour, and the performances captivating for they touched on who we all are underneath our veneer of rectitude.
Review by David McLean