Review II: Jack of Hearts
The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and Craig Reucassel take to the stage in this dramatic romantic comedy following a group of privileged 30-somethings as they yearn for fulfilment and happiness in their relationships.
Jack (Taylor) is a disgraced lawyer taking time to ‘explore his creative side’ when his wife Emma (Paige Gardiner) suddenly leaves him for an arrogant and unscrupulous television anchor (played to a tee by Carl Mochrie). Their close friends, sleazy real estate agent Stu (Reucassel) and his long-suffering wife Denys (Brooke Satchwell) get tied up in the drama.
Dismayed and broke, Jack takes a job as a porter at a remote resort, and of course on one fateful weekend everyone turns up there for ‘an escape’, along with Stu’s latest flamboyant woman on the side (Isabella Tannock).
While this destination trope is all a bit of fun in principle, two and a half hours is a bit of an indulgent run time – more so, it’s the lack of depth or likeableness in any of the characters that made things drag on.
The not-soon-enough introduced dynamic of Jack’s amateur stand-up comedy routines are a welcome change of pace and introduce an interesting shift in staging and audience involvement.
Jack’s troubled but kind demeanour however soon enough divulges into a classic “I’m such a nice guy” rhetoric worthy of a complimentary fedora, as he attempts to try his luck with every woman he knows – including the only potentially likeable character, his headstrong boss Kelli (Christa Nicola).
The cast all managed pull admirable performances from near nonsensical characters – the females are painfully two-dimensional, but the blokes aren’t much better. In the end, the cheating arseholes face no repercussion and the women make their decisions based purely on their ticking biological clocks.
Jack of Hearts is a milestone for writer/director David Williamson, his 50th play; and an interesting project for a couple of blokes from The Chaser, one of the nation’s most politically charged satirical comedy groups. But watching this parade of obnoxious North-Shore characters on stage from amongst the packed opening night audience (in which is was difficult to spot anyone who wasn’t white or less than middle aged) under the shadow of the Harbour Bridge in Kirribilli, I felt uneasy about which cheek the proverbial tongue was indeed planted in. (AM)
**1/2
Until Apr 2. Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli. $25-$69. Tickets & info: ensemble.com.au or 02 9929 0644
