The disturbing world that Ken Kesey depicted in this 1962 novel ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, now coming up to its 50th anniversary, is as vivid and haunting as ever in Ben Lenzo’s fine production for the Epicentre Theatre Company.
Kesey’s piece, adapted by Wasserman for the stage one year later, gives a large, ensemble cast the opportunity to showcase their acting talent, playing an array of quirky characters.
Dave Woodland impresses as one of the ultimate rebels, Randle P.McMurphy. McMurphy, a small time crim, who chooses to spend his allotted time in a psychiatric hospital rather than a prison. He can’t believe what he find there-it’s like his fellow patients are just sitting around, waiting to die. He makes it his personal mission to shake them up- to get some life-force back into them . In particular, he wants them to stand up to super bitch and psych nurse from hell, Nurse Ratched, understatedly played by Suzy Wilde.
McMurphy befriends Dale Harding, the unofficial leader of the group of patients, prior to his arrival. David J Owens does some good work as Harding,an educated, well spoken man who suffers from an unhappy marriage.
McMurphy, however, doesn’t have much luck communicating with Chief Bromden, a deaf and dumb native American Indian who has been in the hospital since the end of World War 2. That is, until suddenly one day the Chief starts to speak to him and tells him his story. AADA graduate Cheyne Fynn gives a solid performance as the Chief. Lenzo has him cleverly shadowing, with his large broom cleaning the floor, and eavesdropping on conversations taking place in the communal area.
With his charm and a bit of bribery McMurphy manages to get night orderly Aide Turkle to agree to allowing a night-time party including a few loose women and plenty of supplies of alcohol from the hospital pharmacy. Dave Kirkham impressed in the role of Aide Turkle as well as playing the the not so spivy, Dr Spivey, who has an ongoing power struggle with Nurse Ratched. Matt Cook and Ben von Sperl play Turkle’s fellow wardens, Warren and Williams.
McMurphy, with all his bluster, is a softie at heart and takes a particular sheen to Billy Bibbit, one of the acute patients who sufferers from a severe speech impediment. He also suffers as a result of Nurse Ratched being a close friend of his mother’s! Sam Boneham gives a subtle and impressive performance as fragile Billy, arguably the performance of the night. Gretchen Mach gives a fun performance as McMurphy’s tarty friend, the bold and brash Candy Starr, and Iseult Champion plays Candy’s randy cohort, Sandra.
Felix Carlyle does some nice touches as patient Scanlon who has a thing for explosives, Robert Sharpe plays loud mouth Cheswick, David Villanti is over the top and fun as he runs around the rooms with his constant hallucinations. Geoff McLean plays the zombie like Ruckley, standing like a freaked out statue for the whole of the performance. Ruckley was a hell raising patient who, as a result of his troubles, was given a lobotomy. He stands, perched as a statue, as a warning to patients, especially to the newly arrived McMurphy, of the results of not toeing the line.
This is a night in the theatre that works both as entertainment and as world class drama. This play really has it all!
The Epicentre Theatre Company’s production of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, Dale Wasserman’s stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s classic novel, opened at the Zenith Theatre, corner Railway street and Parade Street, on Friday 4th November and plays until Saturday 12th November, 2011.
© David Kary
9th November, 2011
Tags: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, KEN KESEY, DALE WASSERMAN, THE EPICENTRE THEATRE COMPANY, BEN LENZO, ZENITH THEATRE, CHATSWOOD, CHEYNE FYNN, DAVID J OWENS, SAM BONEHAM, FELIX CARLYLE, ROBERT SHARPE, DAVE WOODLAND, DAVE KIRKHAM, SUZY WILDS, HEATHER CAMPBELL, GRETCHEN MACH.