There’s the old joke, ‘where there’s a will, there’s relatives’. Actually it is much more an adage, a maxim, than a joke.
In Van Badham’s play A FOOL IN LOVE, two Octavio sisters, Vanessa and Phynayah, are desperate to save their family from financial ruin. They have been relying on getting a windfall from their wealthy uncle’s estate. Their uncle has passed on however there is a hitch, a big hurdle to overcome. Their late uncle has specified that Phynayah must get engaged by the time that she turns 30. Phynayah is about to reach this milestone so they have to act quickly.
Suitors come and go for both sisters, indeed some decide to have a crack at both of them, but tension, mostly comic, increases as the deadline fast approaches.
Van Badham’s script is a modern take on a seventeenth century comedy by celebrated Spanish playwright Lope de Vega entitled La Dama Boba. De Vega’s play was very satirical, mocking social conventions and class structures. Van Badham carries this satire through in her play. Add to this witty dialogue, clever situations and colourful characters, and you have the makings of a really good night’s entertainment.
What seals it, clinches the deal, is Kenneth Moraleda’s high energy, vibrant production which grabs you atraight away. Isabel Hudson’s garish, opulent set, her stunning costumes which are very character revealing, Benjamin Brockman’s lighting and Michael Toisuta’s oomphy sound design create the frame for the actors to perform their spell.
The two leads are great. Contessa Treffone has never been better as Phynayah whose dumb blonde persona belies her sharp intelligence. Melissa Kahraman is brilliant as the snooty, insensitive, social climbing Vanessa.
Johnny Nasser is great as their very pushy father Otto as well as a sleazy yoga teacher. Megan Wilding is in good form a s Vanessa’s very deadpan friend Clare as well as playing the roles of an open mic night host and a character called Rufina. Arkia Ashraf, Alfie Gledhill and Aaron Tsindos round out the cast playing suitors and odd characters.
There were just a few reservations. The second half felt a little long. It could have done with a bit of judicious editing. And there was a WTF moment when Megan Wilding’s character, at one point and facing the audience said, ‘eat my cunt’. I mean her remark was so out of kilter with the rest of the play. Just so odd. Maybe she was just testing to see if we were all awake!
Recommended, a Sydney Theatre Company production, Van Badham’s A FOOL IN LOVE after Lope de Vega’s La Dama boba, directed by Kenneth Moraleda, is playing the Wharf 1 Thatre until the 17th March 2024