Review: Yours For The Asking at Orange Tree Theatre

Review: Yours For The Asking at Orange Tree Theatre

10 September, 2012
by: JoSuthers

Jo Sutherland reviews a 70s revival with much to say about today

Yours for the Asking follows the media frenzy surrounding a sinister advertising campaign, manipulated solely to shift blame from the perpetrators to the face of ‘SHE’. Accidentally associated with a perfume brand that killed three children, Susi (Mia Austen) morphs from an object of lust into one of blame. Operating in a censored world, the media control the manic masses and reason is diluted in the search for a scapegoat. 

Director Sam Walter’s production is sophisticated and engaging, full of sinister press images surrounding the action; a constant reminder of the times in which we live, a media and celebrity obsessed world where the image is indicative of power. But there are structural problems and inconsistencies. 

For example, the only prop properly used is the telephone. Everything else is stylistically indicated never actioned; including the typewriter which has a mind of its own, perhaps symbolic of the ruthlessness of newsrooms. This irregularity in style seems a little haphazard, but nonetheless the production is slick and dynamic.

There are some incredible performances. Despite playing an embittered cynic, Steven Elder breathes warmth and integrity into his portrayal of journalist Juan, whose task it is to write-up an interview with former-model Susi. From his very first entrance, Elder captures the audience’s attention and an air of mystery and an atmospheric tension surrounds him throughout. 

On the flip side, there are a couple of instances where actors, in a bid to perhaps connect with the text, over-egg their onstage presence with too many jittery movements, panicked wide eyes, crying and heavy gasps. However, these do not always compromise the otherwise strong performances.

Designer Katy Mills does a great job of capturing the atmosphere, although the era in which the play is set is questionable. Written in Spain during Franco’s stringent regime in the early 70s by Ana Diosdad, the play effortlessly transcends into the present – so the design, while ambiguous, successfully pars the past, present and future conveying a timelessness.

John Harris’s lighting design deserves high praise too; subtle touches and changes allow us to visualize doorways, lift doors opening and even transport one from a living room to a club. The overhead images of the advertising campaign are illuminated at poignant moments: continuously reminding us that SHE is [ours] for the asking. 

Yours For The Asking runs at Orange Tree Theatre until 6th October

 
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JoSuthers