Nikita Waldron, Leon Ford and Kate Mulvany in Enemy of the People. Photo: Brett Boardman
Playwright Melissa Reeves has taken the protagonist first imagined by Henrik Ibsen in his An Enemy of the People and turned his Dr Stockman into a her and placed her into the 21st century in a small town in Australia, in which she becomes a five-star troublemaker and – yes – enemy of the people.
The bones of this adaptation keep to the original – Stockman is the person who knows the spa town’s water supply, its economic life blood, is contaminated and finds no one wants to know – and it’s a great idea to make her character female, because that just adds another layer to the difficulty in penetrating the male bureaucracy, but unfortunately there is nothing subtle about this production. It hammers home its message in tabloid black and white. Which is, basically, that if you are a whistle-blower you will be pilloried, scorned and cast out – by family, friends, neighbours and everyone in your local community if its going to cost them money. If you are lucky, your daughter (as opposed to your wife in the original) will stick by you. Otherwise, forget it. Should you stand by your principles? Absolutely. Will you get any thanks for it? Nope.
Kate Mulvany excels as Dr Stockman in Enemy of the People. Photo: Brett Boardman
Although I found some of the opening scenes of this production, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, uncomfortably stagey (and why are the actors miked?), the casting is excellent. Sarks has assembled an exceptionally good and experienced cast, among them Kate Mulvany in the lead role of Dr Stockman. Leon Ford is her brother, the mayor; Steve Le Marquand is the nasty newspaper editor and turncoat, Hovstad; and Peter Carroll is the vindictive and selfish father in law, Morten. The rest of the ensemble, Nikita Waldron (as daughter, Petra), Kenneth Moraleda (Aslaksen ), Charles Wu (Billing) and Catherine Davies (as a new character, Randine, who is the voice of the workers) are also good, sometimes managing to inject some humour into the proceedings (all credit to Moraleda’s Aslasken here). For this is billed “as a comedy with a fierce political heart”. Well, sorry, but the comedy is lite on, whilst the political heart is about having a rant about everything that is wrong with our society today.
Great support cast includes Leon Ford and Kenneth Moreleda. Photo: Brett Boardman
Sure, there’s a lot to rant about and, in the second act, when the action ramps up and Dr Stockman is telling the townspeople why they should be up there fighting for the common good (instead of “practising mindfulness”, “bingeing on Netflix” and/or embarking on a “sugar-free diet”), she pulls no punches raises the occasional cynical laugh. Anyone who has been to a community meeting (the debacle that is the WestConnex springs to mind) or felt strongly about the proposal to rebuild perfectly sound sports stadiums will recognise the rhetoric and sophistry. Of course, the fact that this Dr Stockman is female brings on a slew of misogynistic insults and innuendo from the opposing patriarchy, none of which will be a surprise in this Trumpian (and pre-Trumpian) world. And as Mulvany’s character says, it won’t – and it doesn’t – make any difference. And neither does it here. Not that these truths don’t need to be heeded, shouted from the rooftops, twittered and Instagrammed to death.
Despite Mulvany’s Stockman’s best efforts (and these are both mighty, she carries the whole play), we know it’s not going to make an iota of difference against the wall of political and commercial self-interest that she is battling.
We can guess what will happen, even down to the dead dog. Sad, but – as of the moment of writing in this political landscape – true. And maybe that is the point? Dr Stockman needs the people to rise up. Hello? Is anyone listening?
Enemy of the People, by Melissa Reeves (after Henrik Ibsen), is at the Belvoir Street Theatre until 4 November 4.
