While the individual performances were great and the concept behind the production were exciting (corporate greed and excess, selling your soul for the company), I am afraid this show just does not quite work.
White collar workaholic Tony Reggio (Diego Retamules), 25Eight’s protagonist is a profit commander who works twenty five hours a day, eight days a week. His employer, a giant international company The United Synergies Corporation, doubled Tony’s salary and productivity by splitting ( ‘bifurcating’ ) his body and soul. Can Tony somehow persuade the new USC profit commander (his ex, Numera Jinksy) to escape with him from the new, cold twenty-five eight corporate reality ?!
Mr Factotum (curly haired, bearded and moustachioed Richard Hilliar in a posh grey suit) has a weird almost robotic monologue towards the start of the show when he parrots answers to Tony’s questions.
It is odd and ominous that he has no real proof of ID. and rambles on about the Beatles, Arthur Miller and so on. We see him gradually become more and more ‘human’ as time goes on. Tony calls him ‘Conrad’ but we eventually learn his real name is Christopher.
The CEO, who turns out to be Mr Factotum’s adoptive father, is excellently played by David Attrill. To him the company is everything and all he cares about is economic profits and keeping the shareholders happy. He is always concerned about inefficiency and coldly demands that Jinsky murder her ex lover Reggio – but she doesn’t and then his own attempt to kill Reggio fails .
Is his rather O.T.T. almost Shakespearean sacrifice toward the end necessary? It does drive the point home but is this needed? And why the unnecessary air guitar? Yes it is linked in with the Beatles ‘ A Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Eight Days a Week ‘ , but doesn’t really take us anywhere!
Natalie Lopes gives a terrific performance as Numera, who has a hidden secret life. Will she be bifurcated and survive? Will she face corporate greed and change herself and the company, or will all remain the same? Her red and black outfit is quite dramatic and there is obvious symbolism when she finally shrugs into her black blazer.
Vince Vozzo’s graffiti like backdrop on the wall of the tiny stage includes a depiction of the Beatles, the beauties of Sydney Harbour and the allegory of selling your soul to the devil.
Individually the performances were great and the idea behind the show was good but I think possibly at least partly the problem is Valentino Museco’s script, which the director Ira Hal Siedenstein, the actors and audience at times valiantly struggle with. Were they attempting to play the material as a dark farce? Perhaps a little reworking is required?!
Much credit for the effort however this was and unsatisfying and disappointing production.
25EIGHT, with a running time of 90 minutes straight through, opened at the Tap Gallery, 278 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst on Tuesday 11th December and plays until Saturday 22nd December, 2012.
© Lynne Lancaster
14th December, 2012
Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- 25Eight, Tap Gallery Darlinghurst, Diego Retamules, Richard Hilliar, David Attrill, Natalie Lopes. Vince Vozzo, Valentino Museco, Ira Siedenstein, Sydney Arts Guide, Lynne Lancaster