Gaslight | Queensland Theatre
Image: Brett Boardman
This reviewer’s introduction to Gaslight was via the silver screen way back in the late 60s. In 1944, the black and white movie treasure starred screen icons Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer in the main character roles. At the time, it was also an adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s iconic play.
Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson’s adapted version of Gaslight had its world premiere at the 2022 Shaw Festival. So this writer was at once curious and excited to experience for the first time Gaslight brought to life on stage at the Playhouse - fifty odd years in the making!
Observation - the theatre is packed to the rafters with an audience that notably includes a broad range of age demographics. The anticipation is palpable as Paul Charlier’s (original music/sound design) ominous, sinister music score heralds the introduction to Gaslight which immediately sets the mood for what is about to unfold on stage and throughout the two hour performance.
The audience is introduced to Bella Manningham (Geraldine Hakewill) resplendent in a Victorian era gown as she engages her husband Jack Manningham (Toby Schmitz) in light-hearted banter. Their relationship seems to be a loving one as they openly dote on each other. The daily running of their splendid and lavishly furnished home is overseen by their austerely attired housekeeper, Elizabeth (Kate Fitzpatrick). The Manninghams are in the midst of interviewing a housemaid to assist Elizabeth. Enter feisty, confident, outspoken Nancy (Courtney Cavallaro) who is hired to do the more menial house tasks.
Image: Brett Boardman
From the outset, Wright and Jamieson’s skillfully adapted stage version masterfully establishes the plot while simultaneously taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride.
Of madness?
Or is it manipulation?
Hakewill gives a credible performance as the naive, fragile, trusting Bella who is led to believe that she is losing her mind. Her frustration and despair is devastatingly portrayed as she hopelessly grapples with this ever-growing awareness. Schmitz’s suave, debonair, charismatic stage persona is unsettlingly convincing as he moves seamlessly between doting husband and menacing manipulator.
Fitzpatrick’s unflinching stoicism is unwavering as she goes about her duties as the loyal and devoted housekeeper. In contrast, Cavallaro’s blunt remarks and deadpan wisecracks elicited many laughs, creating a lightheartedness to this gripping thriller.
Renee Mulder’s exquisite costumes and set design undoubtedly set the tone. Her design comprised of a lavishly decorated wood-panelled interior complete with period furniture, plush furnishings, decorative items, classic paintings and ‘gas’ lamp fixtures that accurately reflected the Victorian era setting. Her costumes were exquisite in detail and captured the very essence of the wardrobe style favoured during that era - elbow gloves, a silk shawl, a top hat, a bonnet, plaids and tweeds - finer style touches that added to the overall costume design.
Image: Brett Boardman
Lighting designer Paul Jackson excelled with his remarkable lighting effects - the unsettling random dimming of the ‘gas’ lamps complimenting the eerie atmosphere and contributing to Bella’s already fragile emotional state and overactive imagination. Additionally, light flooded the stage or disappeared entirely from a recess that alluded to a large bay window. Jackson’s pièce de résistance captured the time of the day so beautifully and enhanced the unfolding suspense.
Under the insightful guidance of Director Lee Lewis, Wright and Jamieson’s adaptation of this Victorian Gothic theatre work has been elevated to new heights where doubt, misinformation and deception takes centre stage. Judging from the resounding applause, standing ovation and four curtain calls, Gaslight more than impressed.
Now who would’ve thought that a play written in 1938 would be responsible for coining the term ‘gaslighting’ which is now a permanent fixture in modern language. So kudos to Queensland Theatre for generating this awareness by staging this classic stage gem as their inaugural introduction to their stellar 2024 theatre season.
