OBSERVER: Hold Me
A Kissing Booth Productions writer Jake Stewart, staged his Hold Me Hold Me Hold Me at The Mission for Seafarers, Docklands.
An historic complex built last century in 1916, being a part of a worldwide support organisation with headquarters in London, while it has four like Mission locations in Victoria and some 30 locations around Australia.
Probably little is known about the Mission, as an arm of the Anglican Church that has been assisting seafarers since 1856, with spiritual and practical support throughout some 200 ports worldwide. A visit to the Docklands location would enlighten many.
Now for the review. The production should not have been at the ‘Dome’ of the Mission complex, in its large circular space with a very high Dome which unfortunately caused most dialogue to be lost with echo, limiting clarity giving way for many of the audience to watch carefully the ‘body language’ between the two actors, Callum O’Mara and Wheeler Maurer.
There was no information provided at the performance as to what character either played throughout the diverse collection of vignettes nor their titles, so we were not party to exactly where the particular vignettes were being played out.
A violinist alerted us to the end of each vignette with a short rendition while the actors perambulated the circle before commencing the next vignette.
In being able to peruse the script of three of the vignettes, Under City Lights, Tennessee and High School, there should have been some change of costume that was referred to in the body of the scripts.
Accents should have varied, maybe they did but the echo effect didn’t help. The interaction between the actors who played many varying roles was generally good, at times confronting, at times with intimacy, a hint of gayness but no nudity as scripted.
If there is another performance season of Hold Me it should be in a smaller theatre so as to fully appreciate the work of the actors.
Selection of a suitable venue is important in that it meets the needs of the writer’s work. I am also very cautious of writers actually directing their own work for stage.
Review by Graeme McCoubrie