Steve

Blue Chair in the News

Monday, October 02, 2006

Steve
By admin @ 7:39 PM :: 357 Views :: 1 Comments ::

:: Broadway Australia, Steve, Allan Kerr, Kylie Trask

Steve
Chapel off Chapel Loft Theatre; Blue Chair Theatre
Thursday, June 30, 2005. Opening Night Performance. Review by LISA PHAM.

Where can you draw the line between someone who enjoys drinking and someone who has an alcohol problem? How much of your life do you have to lose before you realise you need to stop? Blue Chair Theatre’s latest production, Steve, is a hard hitting story about a man trying to re-build his life after his wife leaves him because of his alcohol problem. Steve McIntyre is a typical Aussie bloke and it is his ordinariness that makes the play so effective. He started drinking when he was 14 and started working as a labourer when he was 15. His father was an alcoholic, too.

With a naturalistic dialogue, Steve has a simple set that is well used. The mobile phone conversation between Steve and his ex-wife Meg is shown in two scenes. The same moment in time but shown separately highlights the isolation between the characters and the need to stay apart to move forward.

The play uncovers the immense emotional pressure placed on families and lovers of alcoholics. The problem with alcoholism is knowing that the person is normally decent, caring and generous when they sober – they just spend most of the time being drunk. Steve questions whether alcoholism is a choice or a disease. It examines the effect that alcoholism has on relationships and the emotional scars that continue after the physical ones have healed.

The only time Steve and Meg are together is in a flashback scene, parodying Dirty Dancing’s ‘Time of your Life’ sequence. Steve’s brother Eric calls him "the single most selfish bastard in the world" while his drinking buddy Robbo tells Steve "Nah you’re not [an alcoholic], you’re alright." This contrasting opinion shows how difficult it is for alcoholics to get help even when they are aware they have a problem.

The character quirks provide a humorous backdrop to the serious themes of the play. Eric (played by Justin Bechtold) is gorgeously daggy while Steve (played by Craig Higgs) is both likeable in his honesty and childishness, but also scary in his violence and aggression.

Steve certainly deserves a longer season run than its four nights at Chapel off Chapel, and will hopefully get the chance to be performed in upcoming festivals.

Comments

By Anonymous @ Wednesday, October 04, 2006 4:07 PM

I just wanted to congratulate you and your team for an absolutely wonderful performance. My husband and I went on Saturday night with two friends who have not been to many plays. They were so impressed that they want to make it a regular outing.All the actors were outstanding and the script was brilliant.
Thanks for a great night's entertainment.

Regards
Linden Franke

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