Flat Whites a satisfying brew

Reviewed by Teresa O’Connor

The Nelson Mail Friday August 27, 2010

One of Roger Hall’s great strengths as a playwright is his ability to perfectly capture the concerns, confusions and crises of middle (aged) New Zealand and reflect them back to us.

His ear for the vernacular, his gift for dialogue and his talent for convincing characterization are hallmarks (excuse the pun) of his plays. He’s done it again with Four Flat Whites in Italy.

The play follows the fortunes, failings and frustrations of an ill-fitting foursome’s holiday in Venice, Rome and Tuscany in 2007. It’s a fast-paced, dialogue-dense production, involved myriad scene changes from Venetian canals to St Peter’s Basilica, from hotel bedrooms to a Tuscan villa. And it has an unusual structure – a narrator-come-play-participant.

Nelson’s independent theatre company, Theatre Alive, as done a commendable job of bringing a great script to life. Andrew Challis, as Adrian, the narrator and half of the Labour-voting librarian couple, handles his immense number of words with panache.

Adrian is awkward, penny-pinching, sexually deprived and haunted by a past tragedy. Challis makes him suitably convincing. Adrian’s unfortunate wife Alison, with her sensible shoes, nerdy knowledge of art history, irritating inability to relax and her own deep sadness, is not an easy character to play. Susanne Bolger’s somewhat one-dimensional portrayal doesn’t give her the depth she needs to be truly convincing.

The other half of the foursome is the likeable Harry, a successful plumber now enjoying the trappings of his success, including his trophy wife Judy. Harry is an instantly recognizable Kiwi character – the straight-talking, somewhat redneck rugby-mad small businessman with the heart of gold, and Troy Warring infuses him with just the right amount of humour and irony. Ngaire Warner as Judy combines flirtatiousness and commonsense well.

Judging by the largely middle-aged audience’s knowing laughter; a number of scenes accurately captured the petty tensions inevitable when travelling abroad.

Highlights were the nightmarish navigation on the ring road out of Rome and the despair over the All Blacks’ loss to France in the World Cup, which three of the four watched on telly under the Tuscan stars.

Because of its large number of scene changes, the play was a challenge to stage. But the sets and excellent use of projection provided a realistic backdrop.

Four Flat Whites in Italy was warmly received by the opening-night audience and is well worth the trip.