Sun 12 Aug 2012 In: Performance View at Wayback View at NDHA
After watching the opening of Silo Theatre’s The Pride at The Herald I needed cake. Cake was needed to buy time for post-show discussion. Post-show discussion was needed to digest the complex, moving and compelling content of this sexually –charged “erotic time warp”. It certainly was a mouthful of a show but in the way that leaves you wanting more. To see more of the actors, hear more of the beautiful dialogue, and watch more theatre that gives you the opportunity to really take a look at what having rainbow pride is all about. And with queer identity thrust into the country’s spotlight through the marriage equality debate, there couldn’t have been a better time to present this poignant work. Written by Alexi Kaye Campbell and first presented at The English Stage Company at The Royal Court Theatre in 2008, Silo’s production is The Pride’s New Zealand premiere. Sophie Robert’s direction meant the production was simple and elegant yet rough and raw – it really fitted Silo Theatre’s aim of presenting bold work that’s “energetic and uncompromising”, with a focus on strong dialogue. Set between 1958 and 2008, the show dives into the ever-complicated lives of Oliver, played by Kip Chapman, Phillip, played by Simon London, and Sylvia, played by Dena Kennedy. The trio are dealing with a tangled web of sexual emotions inexplicably linked by time, tension, and if nothing else, love. Each plays a character imbedded in the trials of pre-sexual revolution life and a character dealing with living in a sexually-liberated society. They are different people with different stories and different challenges but with the same name and in essence many similar problems. This juxtaposition sets the audience up with a means for comparing life and looking at how change and progress are evaluated. One of the show’s strengths was that in doing this it became accessible to intergenerational comparisons by giving a glimpse into two different age groups who are both experiencing similar challenges but in a quite different social context. A line about needing to be brave really stood out as an important and linking quality that transcends time and context. Campbell wanted to translate his ideas, emotions, and confusions on queer pride into a dialogue that left the audience pondering for days after watching the show. As I was eating my cake and digested every element of the show I realised that he achieved just that – it certainly would be the first of many discussions about The Pride and what exactly that means. A less-than-perfect seating arrangement that left a few necks craning for a better view was a minor discomfort in a show that otherwise left me with plenty of food for thought. - Silo's The Pride, reviewed by Hannah Spyksma The Pride plays at the Herald Theatre from 10 August – 1 September and you can buy tickets here Hannah Spyksma - 12th August 2012