The Norman Mailer Anecdote | DOOR 3 & Queensland Theatre
“The Norman Mailer Anecdote is a metaphor for what we hide behind”.
Julian Curtis - Director
Hero image supplied by company
Queensland Theatre’s iconic Diane Cilento Studio is an intimate space. There is an air of excitement and anticipation for tonight’s performance as it will herald the inaugural introduction to the newly launched DOOR 3 program, where Queensland Theatre have opened their doors to three Queensland-based theatre collectives to stage their own works. The first collective presenting in DOOR 3 is Big Scary Animal with the The Norman Mailer Anecdote, notable as its script was one of three finalists in the biennial playwriting award, the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, for 2022-23.
Helen (Zoe Houghton) is ecstatic. She’s celebrating a milestone in her career - the first female to be inducted as a partner in her predominantly male law firm. Helen is joined by her daughter Sam/Samantha (Hattie Clegg-Robinson) who is on her way out to meet up with her friends. Mother and daughter engage in light-hearted, spirited banter while enjoying their celebratory drinks in the bar area. They are joined by the patriarch of the family, Marshall (Christopher Summers), a successful writer whose onstage actions unabashedly denote how much he dotes on his wife and daughter.
Exit Sam.
The couple continue on with the euphoria of Helen’s promotion. But when Marshall is reminded to accompany Helen to her auspicious ceremony, his unsolicited confession rips apart their revelry and sets the scene for unprecedented outcomes for each of the family members.
Houghton is compelling in her role as the success driven wife and mother who will go to any lengths to secure her future. She underscores her convincing performance when she decides that her legal obligations far outweigh her sympathy for her daughter’s unfortunate plight or her husband’s absolution. Summers on the other hand, elicits sympathy as the confused husband who is convinced of his own innocence citing his journals as his proof. His skillfully acted ‘smoke and mirrors’ approach is short lived when revelations surface that tarnish his ‘reputable’ reputation. Clegg-Robinson’s acting is undoubtedly praise-worthy. She embodies her role as Sam, a privileged adolescent who incites toxic male masculinity as a result of her binge-drinking. Sam will go to any lengths to redeem herself even if that includes behaving irresponsibly.
Image: Luke Mayze
Associate set designer, Tony Noble, has assembled an intimate set comprising contemporary fittings and furnishings complimented by a large bookshelf that dominates the back wall. The sunken lounge is separated from the bar area by three steps which enhances the format of how the play unfolds. The entire set is constructed of wood creating a warm, welcoming, open space that belies the harsh reality being acted out within its cosy interior.
The title of the lone book that is displayed in the centre of the bookshelf was not lost on this writer. It reads The Scheme of Things.
Morgan Francis’s (Music/Sound Designer) piano infused soundscape is instrumental (no pun intended) in heralding the atmospheric mood and climactic nuances that unfold throughout the play. Lighting Designer, Teegan Kranenburg’s swift, dramatic lighting changes directly correlate to the change of tempo being enacted by the accomplished trio.
Writer, Anthony Mullins, has written a ripper of a dialogue that bristles with tension and emotion. Under the deft direction of Julian Curtis, what starts off as a celebration, ends in a tangled web of lies and deceit in just under a harrowing eighty minutes. This emotional rollercoaster delves deep, deep into the rabbit hole of workplace sexual harassment, alcohol fuelled revenge, sexual violence and assault.
Ultimately this timely production begs the question “Home, work or play. Will a female ever be safe from a male predator’s gaze?”
Kudos and more to Big Scary Animal’s inaugural production The Norman Mailer Anecdote which was a Queensland Premier’s Drama Award Finalist in 2022. This raw, visceral, gripping, enthralling drama takes place in a single room, over a single night and irrevocably will change one family’s dynamics forever.
Reality bites!
The Norman Mailer Anecdote runs at Queensland Theatre until 18 May 2024.
