Lunch with Vincent River

Lunch with Vincent River 
The Metro Arts Theatre - Friday, 26th
Elephant Juice Theatre Company
Directed by: Jamie Kable 
Cast: Jane Cameron, Robbie O'Brien, Andy Townsend, Peta Ward


When invited to dine with Vincent, be sure you've rescheduled your entire afternoon. Starting with 'Lunch', opening the performance at 30min, (followed by a 15min intermission), then 'Vincent River' at a staggering 1 & 1/2 hours. If you're craving a serving of theatre, yes, really salivating for the stage, Vincent's raw plate of theatrical culinary is unfortunately, drastically, undercooked! 
Like chocolate & broccoli, washed down with a glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, Steven Berkoff's, Lunch, simply did not work. The play itself is beautifully written - a literal smorgasbord of verbal delights, sugarcoated in climatic tension. Two people meet on a beach. One begins to seduce the other. But which one? Berkoff’s hugely theatrical style is unfortunately lost in this production, possibly too big and in depth, with just a little too many ingredients to handle. Separately, both actors performed reasonably well - though they did not mesh. There was little to non on-stage communication, they did not feed from each other, leaving the audience unsatisfied and hungry for a proper meal. 


As promoted: Philip Ridley’s Vincent River is the suspenseful tale of a mother who confronts the last person to see her, closet homosexual son alive. By turns charming, funny and tragically violent, Vincent River will have your heart in your mouth as you share Anita and Davey’s journey towards the terrifying truth....... not this time. This piece could have finished forty minutes earlier and I still would have deemed it, too long. 'Monotone', Vincent River, is not black or white, but grey. It just simply 'keeps going'... then going.... then going a little more. I feel the performance literally just happened, and in some sort of  quasi 'out of body' experience. Time stopped, and I became more delirious with the passing minutes.. all ninety of them. Vincent firstly is performed entirely by two actors, and of course monologs can be more than enthralling, but a connection must be made between audience and actor, and unfortunately Vincent River keeps very much to himself. 


Unquestionably, I have had my dosage of independent theatre for the year. And will subsequently not be partaking in breakfast, lunch, or dinner (inclusive of meals in-between) with Vincent River anytime this year. Performing at The Metro Arts, Lunch with Vincent River, is $25 a pop. 


Check out their website for more details: www.metroarts.com.au