Review by Greg Gorton
An oft-forgotten part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival is its on-demand digital performances. One such performance, Making It Up, is the tale of Norm Reynolds, a man coming to terms with his passions, wrapped up in a love-letter to the great playwright Edward Albee. Reynolds had met Albee, twice, and those interactions, as well as Reynolds’ own life, form the basis of the one-man show.
While I never had the honour of meeting Albee, I was in the audience for his fascinating talk with Jonathon Biggins back in 2009. From such recollections, I have to admit that Reynolds did an amazing job capturing the quiet confidence of the playwright in this work and I could even come to believe the words spoken were direct quotes. As other characters, including himself and those from his other plays, Reynolds shows an impressive range. While one might be lost for a second when he shifts without warning into new stories and characters, it is surprisingly easy to catch up.
The story itself is interesting enough - while Reynolds’ life is far from extraordinary, it is in that relatable tale of an ordinary man wanting to write something great that this tale finds its place. Diversions into other mentors, the struggles of being a salesman, and the joy found in teaching are never boring, even if they can never be quite as compelling as those moments with Albee present. Away from the great playwright, I was most impressed by the monologue from one of Reynolds’ other plays - an accidental presentation, if you will, of his own credentials as a competent creator of compelling characters.
I’m not convinced that the format of the work does true justice to either the script or Reynold’s performance. The show is filmed on an empty stage, and while there is nothing to complain about the cinematography by John Bertram, the hollowness of the audio and the loss of that powerful immediacy that is live-performed theatre rob some of that charisma which deserves to be celebrated.
As an Albee fan, and as an artist (as we all are), I found Making It Up compelling viewing. At just over half an hour in length, and one of the cheapest performances at Fringe, I’d highly recommend skipping an episode of television tonight and watching this instead.
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