Circa Theatre
November 3-17 | Reviewed by Helen Sims

VIEWING The Hollow Men in its return season at Circa Theatre marked the second time I’ve seen this fast paced, slick play. The Circa production was marginally better than the one I saw at Centrepoint in Palmerston North, as issues of sound level had been addressed and the Wellington audience was generally more receptive to the subject matter. As much as I admire the technical elements and the deft performances of this production, and think it a better than expected job of dramatising Hager’s book, I still left wondering whether this play really shed much more light or prompted more thought on Don Brash’s election campaign in 2005, and the inherent problems of party politics that remained after his defeat and deposal.

Perhaps it’s just that I don’t find any of the events revealed particularly shocking. Having studied party and personality politics I know it is underhand and manipulative, a ‘fine art’ in itself. The attempts at broadening out the subject matter of the play, to the fundamental ideological conflict at the heart of the National party that has “never been resolved” and the sense that John Key is just another cog in the wheel, with the same or similar puppet masters working behind the scenes, don’t really carry that much resonance. As a result, whilst the play easily held my attention across its 100 minute running time, I didn’t leave feeling like it had really revealed anything I didn’t know or suspect before. Whilst I am an advocate of theatre engaging with the political at a local level, I didn’t feel this was particularly profound – the play seems to have limited itself to the surface detail of events surrounding the election.

Or perhaps I’m out of touch with “mainstream” New Zealand, who bought Brash’s honest politician image? The revelation of the extent of his media management and revelations of deceit must have been shocking to them. But I’ve always viewed politics as a carefully scripted, elaborately stage managed performance, with democratic representation a by-product (if we’re lucky). Perhaps this is what makes it so amenable to theatrical translation. The play was certainly well received by the audience on both occasions I saw it – although I have a feeling that in Wellington at least the audience has mostly been complied of non-National supporters anyway, who are more naturally inclined to favour the party being ridiculed. Yes there’s a problem with politics in New Zealand, as is bluntly pointed out at the end of the play, but New Zealanders are notoriously apathetic, and alarmingly easily swayed – just today a bank teller told me he’d switch to National if Labour didn’t “give him his tax cut”.

Where the play has more success is in the entertainment value that politics, and the sheer desperation for power in the run up to an election, presents. There are many humorous and satirical moments. One of my favourites had to be the parody of Ruth Richardson, replete with a hacked up wig and jogging suit. There are also excellent touches of the surreal, for example, Brash’s open mouthed reception of Reagan’s broadcasts to “mainstream” America during his campaign. Special commendation is due to Lyndee-Jane Rutherford, who deftly plays these, plus a variety of other roles with excellent comic timing and sharp observation. Her knowing glance at the audience after she sticks it to the boy’s club as a data analyst was hilarious.

The most interesting lead character for me was not Brash, who almost seems marginalised after he succeeds in his bid for the leadership of National, but Peter Keenan, played by Michael Keir Morrissey. Morrissey presents Keenan as the consummate political advisor, privately jaded, but an expert in the manipulation of emotions and the transmission of mixed messages. He presents a strong contrast to the eager and energetic young advisors hired to freshen up Brash’s image, Bryan Sinclair (Arthur Meek) and Matthew Hooton (Sam Sneddon). Stephen Papps’ presents more of a caricature of Brash than anything else – but his hunching awkwardness is what I remember most from his media appearances, and Papps never waivers from this characterisation. Brash’s pedantry is humorously shown in a short scene involving a dust buster and the bewildered expressions of his advisors. The play seems far more damning of Brash’s advisors than the man himself ultimately, and I wonder if the representation of Brash is a little too sympathetic in the end.

The set and lighting seems to be premised on simple, clean lines which suit the fast-paced production well. I did, however, question the need to obscure some of the actors’ faces behind the framework of the set at times. Props are minimal, but wheely chairs and a laptop are used to effect in several scenes. A copious amount of (Starbucks?) coffee is consumed. Hendry and his design team have obviously carefully staged and designed this production, in order to make it as dynamic a presentation as possible.

Overall, an excellent production; I just have my doubts as to its continued relevance. Perhaps more of an abstraction of the events would have suited me more. Roll on the next election!

See also:
» The Hollow Men (Reviewed by Kate Blackhurst)
» The Hollow Men: Film Review [A] [B]
» The Hollow Men: Book Review