Review: THE UGLY ONE at Slingsby’s Hall of Possibility, Adelaide

Review by Lisa Lanzi

Munich-born (1972) Marius von Mayenburg is an author, director, playwright, and translator. At the University of the Arts in Berlin he studied playwriting, was a member of the Deutsches Theater Baracke (studio theatre) and was Dramaturg and writer-in-residence at the Schaubühne in Berlin.  The Ugly One (translated by Maja Zade) was written in 2007, debuting at London’s Royal Court Theatre, and Famous Last Words’ production is the first time the play has been professionally staged in Adelaide.

Director James Watson has placed the absurdist comedy/drama of The Ugly One upon a traverse stage gifting the audience with a kind of voyeuristic role.  We can observe both the action and inaction, the set-up, scene shifts, and a somewhat claustrophobic world where image is tantamount to success… for a time.  The opposite bank of audience too is visible and could be the crowd-extras being addressed when Lette, the main character, eases into his seductive sales patter about the ingenious ‘plug’ and its many  beguiling attributes.  

Without any costume changes, four actors portray eight characters (with only four names in play) using simple, subtle vocal adjustments as cues to their different roles that morph continuously and without fanfare.  It is a trope that jars a little in the first instance but one the viewer adapts to, though I would have enjoyed just a little more modification of actor physicality within their portrayals.  It is a surreal feature of the script that scenes change sometimes in mid conversation but again, the audience adapts due to Watson’s clear direction.

The Slingsby space is cavernous but the intimate performance area for this season is defined by a rectangle of white carpet, utilitarian road crates, and bench seating.  Simple but glaring lighting also marks the area, as do smaller lamps moved about by the cast.  With only a few chairs and hand held props, the cast create the suggestion of place then, at times, use stylized movement to articulate unfolding details, for example, surgical operations or moments of intimacy.

Mayenburg has been heard to pronounce that “my plays are my diary out in the world”.  In The Ugly One, those ‘diary entries’ seem influenced by extremes like the myth of Narcissus and Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling, perhaps merged with a little Black Mirror-flavoured social commentary.  The ‘unbearably ugly’ and professionally sidelined Lette is transformed into the Adonis ideal of male beauty with seemingly endless appeal to both women and men.  After seeking plastic surgery, the man who had no idea of his unattractiveness is elevated to new career and social heights but at the eventual sacrifice of his moral compass.  Watson illustrates themes of invisibility versus prominence and the audience watches as vanity aligns with arrogance and the mighty are taken down.  The thematic material seems even more relevant today as we navigate an image-obsessed world where overly-filtered influencers parade only perfection and even fourteen year-olds seek out lip-plumping treatments and more. 

Virginia Blackwell, Tom Spiby, James Starbuck, and Emelia Williams are a fine cast and keep the pace lively.  Starbuck as Lette the talented engineer and inventor (and only cast member to play a single role) gives a nuanced performance allowing the pathos and the humanity to sit comfortably beside the script’s dark humour and his character’s fateful trajectory.  Blackwell gives a wonderful interpretation of some powerfully positioned females as Scheffler: the company boss and the surgeon.  Her vocal strength and diction are a standout and her stage presence strong.  Williams plays Fanny x three: Lette’s wife, a wealthy, lascivious older client, and the surgeon’s nurse moving seamlessly between each persona.  The two Karlmanns (Lette’s co-worker and the son of the wealthy client) are brought to life by Spiby, another performance marked by subtle craft and fine presence.  Just a few times some actors’ voices were not quite clear enough for the space but the ensemble works beautifully together to deliver the complex, thoughtful direction.

Lighting and sound was designed by Steven Drurey and both elements served to heighten both the absurdity and the satirical nature of this work.  Another interesting, symbolic prop was the gradual, then sudden proliferation of red balloons.  I haven’t been able to decide exactly what this symbol might have represented and have since found that TikTok has a plethora of red balloon videos with differently aligned meanings.  They could be symbolizing the insecure or unhealthy side of human nature as well as being associated with anxiety or other emotional disorders.  Additionally, a red balloon can represent overwhelm or a coming breakdown.  Conversely, a red balloon emoji is often used as a symbol of celebration and happiness.  Much like the proliferation of Lette’s ‘face’ in society as the surgeon greedily performs the procedure for more and more people, the presence of these balloons becomes ubiquitous.

We are fortunate to have a few smaller professional companies in Adelaide, like James Watson’s Famous Last Words, who defy the odds and keep producing excellent work.  As always, I urge audiences to support local, at least as much as you might support the larger companies and touring shows.  Artists are driven to create and performing artists need audiences.  This company takes risks and dares to stage intimate, relevant works.  Bravo.

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