Tadhg Mackay
It has been a long time since I’ve seen a piece of art without having learnt about it beforehand. The Body Politic, written by Elspeth Sandys and directed by Andrew Foster, is a dramedy about four people living in an apartment block in Thorndon. How much can these people take before they need to take a stand? I went into The Body Politic blind beyond the name, when I needed to be there, and that it was at Circa. I left having watched an excellent piece of theatre that would have passed me by if I hadn’t agreed to review it.
Inside Circa 2 is a slightly raised stage with a back wall all painted a light blue-grey. Affixed to the wall are a handful of wooden slats painted the same colour and an LED strip on the wall slightly offset from the middle. It feels quite modern and sleek, the slats on the wall almost emulating the paneling on some form of machinery. I don’t believe this was the intention, but it was my impression. The show opens with the actors greeting the audience and the sound operator, to set the scene and immediately remove the fourth wall. During the scene setting, one of the wooden slats is removed from the wall revealing the “Green Meadows” sign. My curiosity as to what the other slats could be hiding is immediately piqued.
We meet four characters that each live (or are soon to live) in the Green Meadows apartment block. Clarice, the sole leader of the block’s Body Corps. is immediately pitched as the antagonist. Played with a snobbish salinity by Jude Gibson, she is instantly unlikeable. Enforcing rules like they were law and making snide comments about the other characters to the audience. Early on Will, played by Peter Hambleton, even refers to her as a dictator. Will is the father-figure of the complex, fed up with Clarice's reign but unwilling to act without support. Miriam, played by Lauren Gibson, is a young single mother, anxious to have everyone get along. Finally we have Fetu played by Chris Alosio. Fetu is moving into one of the apartments and is learning about each character and their dynamics, a deftly written vehicle for us to see into the relationships at play. Fetu is not afraid to say the things that need to be said.
Foster’s choice to break the fourth wall at the top of the show was a strong one. It is a concise and concentrated introduction to the language of The Body Politic. Each character, at times, will address the audience to indicate time, location, and sometimes to sound out their thoughts to a single member as if they were having a conversation. The choice to keep the set simple and the acting realistic meant that the characters could believably be anywhere. Something to note is that the actors are on stage the entire time. Usually when they weren't performing they would be off the raised platform leaning against the internal walls of Circa 2. I never figured out why this choice was made. Perhaps the lack of moving parts meant there was no reason to. I doubt that though, that would not give enough credit to Foster. Action (or lack thereof) and fall out are pivotal to this show, maybe it reflects the idea that every action you make, can have observed outcomes with the performers being the observers. Every now and then the actors would deliver their lines from off the platform, a handful of times stepping on to the staircase with the audience. I could not figure out a consistent logic behind why this was happening and without that, felt like an unspoken rule was being broken.
While the actors were side of stage watching, I could only assume they were admiring their fellow performers' work as I was. If even one member of this cast was different, I’m sure the show would’ve suffered.. Alosio is endlessly charming as Fetu. His sincerity is a consistent richness. Through Fetu’s jokes or his more serious conversations, Alosio lets his character shine through different panes of glass. Never dulling the character, just showing him in a new light. J. Gibson has a keen grasp on her character’s role. Upon first meeting Clarice I felt that J. Gibson was slightly over-acting compared to the realistic ease of conversation her fellow performers were using. It was when the cracks in Clarice’s facade started forming, that J. Gibson’s choices fell into place. A character who refuses to be genuine, even when addressing the audience, is never going to read as ‘real’. The moments when J. Gibson lowers Clarice’s mask were some of the highlights of the show. Will’s character does not get as much time as the others but Hambleton is so deft that I worry he may go underappreciated. Every action and phrase from Hambleton portrays Will's fondness for the other residents. This is especially evident in his aroha towards Miriam. The dynamic between Will and Miriam only gains more depth in hindsight, no doubt thanks to Hambleton’s understanding of his character. Miriam’s comfort in her fellow residents of Green Meadows crossed with her tension towards the politics that accompany them is not an easy balance. L. Gibson would have you believe otherwise. With each choice Miriam makes, L. Gibson holds in her other hand the counterweight. A desire for the future versus the weight of the past. Her desire for everyone to be happy but an inability to allow that for herself. It is quite a commendable feat.
The writing from Elspeth Sandys is also to be commended. The flow of dialogue was seamless and every character concrete. The layers to each character were peeled back at an excellent pace. Each duo had a unique relationship and one that I could believe exists between characters that live together. The character dynamics almost resembled a ‘whodunnit’ to me. I was fascinated with the character interactions, each drop of history reshaping how I saw the dynamic. Don’t be misled though, this is definitely NOT a whodunnit and that interpretation is probably unique to this reviewer. In their writer’s note, Sandys says “The play that followed more or less wrote itself” and I don’t doubt it.
It is looking at this piece in a larger scope that things get blurry. At one point in the show there is a massive protest outside Green Meadows. The rest of the slats are pulled off the wall to reveal signs and slogans both on the wall and the inverse of the slats. I felt this protest was a little out of place. It engages in the larger message of the play (which I shall get to shortly) but only grazes the characters and story of it. For the supposed scale of the protest in the world, I quickly forget about it. The only thing reminding me of its presence is the literal writing on the wall.
I left the theatre having watched a show about four people involved in a microscopic revolution happening in Thorndon. I thought perhaps, each character coming from different walks of life and living together, that it was an allusion to our ever growing ‘town square’. With the internet, everything and everyone seems so much closer. How do you deal with so many beliefs at the end of your fingertips? My friend, who I had watched it with, thought it was reflecting politics in Aotearoa. Clarice had been wearing red and it had them wondering if she was meant to represent Jacinda Ardern. Clarice’s ever changing rules possibly reflecting the constantly shifting COVID-19 regulations. Ultimately I think anyone can come watch this show and have it represent something relatable. I had worried that Sandys was trying to make a point that wasn’t clear enough. Upon further reflection I think the universality of the message was their intention and this reflection was a desired outcome.
I highly recommend you go to see The Body Politic. It is on at Circa Theatre until the 21st of September. More info here.
We meet four characters that each live (or are soon to live) in the Green Meadows apartment block. Clarice, the sole leader of the block’s Body Corps. is immediately pitched as the antagonist. Played with a snobbish salinity by Jude Gibson, she is instantly unlikeable. Enforcing rules like they were law and making snide comments about the other characters to the audience. Early on Will, played by Peter Hambleton, even refers to her as a dictator. Will is the father-figure of the complex, fed up with Clarice's reign but unwilling to act without support. Miriam, played by Lauren Gibson, is a young single mother, anxious to have everyone get along. Finally we have Fetu played by Chris Alosio. Fetu is moving into one of the apartments and is learning about each character and their dynamics, a deftly written vehicle for us to see into the relationships at play. Fetu is not afraid to say the things that need to be said.
Foster’s choice to break the fourth wall at the top of the show was a strong one. It is a concise and concentrated introduction to the language of The Body Politic. Each character, at times, will address the audience to indicate time, location, and sometimes to sound out their thoughts to a single member as if they were having a conversation. The choice to keep the set simple and the acting realistic meant that the characters could believably be anywhere. Something to note is that the actors are on stage the entire time. Usually when they weren't performing they would be off the raised platform leaning against the internal walls of Circa 2. I never figured out why this choice was made. Perhaps the lack of moving parts meant there was no reason to. I doubt that though, that would not give enough credit to Foster. Action (or lack thereof) and fall out are pivotal to this show, maybe it reflects the idea that every action you make, can have observed outcomes with the performers being the observers. Every now and then the actors would deliver their lines from off the platform, a handful of times stepping on to the staircase with the audience. I could not figure out a consistent logic behind why this was happening and without that, felt like an unspoken rule was being broken.
While the actors were side of stage watching, I could only assume they were admiring their fellow performers' work as I was. If even one member of this cast was different, I’m sure the show would’ve suffered.. Alosio is endlessly charming as Fetu. His sincerity is a consistent richness. Through Fetu’s jokes or his more serious conversations, Alosio lets his character shine through different panes of glass. Never dulling the character, just showing him in a new light. J. Gibson has a keen grasp on her character’s role. Upon first meeting Clarice I felt that J. Gibson was slightly over-acting compared to the realistic ease of conversation her fellow performers were using. It was when the cracks in Clarice’s facade started forming, that J. Gibson’s choices fell into place. A character who refuses to be genuine, even when addressing the audience, is never going to read as ‘real’. The moments when J. Gibson lowers Clarice’s mask were some of the highlights of the show. Will’s character does not get as much time as the others but Hambleton is so deft that I worry he may go underappreciated. Every action and phrase from Hambleton portrays Will's fondness for the other residents. This is especially evident in his aroha towards Miriam. The dynamic between Will and Miriam only gains more depth in hindsight, no doubt thanks to Hambleton’s understanding of his character. Miriam’s comfort in her fellow residents of Green Meadows crossed with her tension towards the politics that accompany them is not an easy balance. L. Gibson would have you believe otherwise. With each choice Miriam makes, L. Gibson holds in her other hand the counterweight. A desire for the future versus the weight of the past. Her desire for everyone to be happy but an inability to allow that for herself. It is quite a commendable feat.
The writing from Elspeth Sandys is also to be commended. The flow of dialogue was seamless and every character concrete. The layers to each character were peeled back at an excellent pace. Each duo had a unique relationship and one that I could believe exists between characters that live together. The character dynamics almost resembled a ‘whodunnit’ to me. I was fascinated with the character interactions, each drop of history reshaping how I saw the dynamic. Don’t be misled though, this is definitely NOT a whodunnit and that interpretation is probably unique to this reviewer. In their writer’s note, Sandys says “The play that followed more or less wrote itself” and I don’t doubt it.
It is looking at this piece in a larger scope that things get blurry. At one point in the show there is a massive protest outside Green Meadows. The rest of the slats are pulled off the wall to reveal signs and slogans both on the wall and the inverse of the slats. I felt this protest was a little out of place. It engages in the larger message of the play (which I shall get to shortly) but only grazes the characters and story of it. For the supposed scale of the protest in the world, I quickly forget about it. The only thing reminding me of its presence is the literal writing on the wall.
I left the theatre having watched a show about four people involved in a microscopic revolution happening in Thorndon. I thought perhaps, each character coming from different walks of life and living together, that it was an allusion to our ever growing ‘town square’. With the internet, everything and everyone seems so much closer. How do you deal with so many beliefs at the end of your fingertips? My friend, who I had watched it with, thought it was reflecting politics in Aotearoa. Clarice had been wearing red and it had them wondering if she was meant to represent Jacinda Ardern. Clarice’s ever changing rules possibly reflecting the constantly shifting COVID-19 regulations. Ultimately I think anyone can come watch this show and have it represent something relatable. I had worried that Sandys was trying to make a point that wasn’t clear enough. Upon further reflection I think the universality of the message was their intention and this reflection was a desired outcome.
I highly recommend you go to see The Body Politic. It is on at Circa Theatre until the 21st of September. More info here.