Berynn Schwerdt and Hannah Waterman in Lookout. Photo: Jaimi Joy.
The Summer of Harold encompasses three delightful short plays from the sharp and witty pen of playwright Hilary Bell, and each one is brought vividly to life by the combined talents of Hannah Waterman and Berynn Schwerdt. But before we even hear a word, there is Jeremy Allen’s wonderfully eclectic set to behold. A backdrop of shelving contains memorabilia of the 80s – a Phil Collins LP that revolves into life (and song) for example – and various objets d’art and sporting equipment that will have relevance as the plays progress.
First up is a monologue from Waterman as Janet, recalling her 20s and 1980s backpacking days, when she and a Kiwi friend Alison scammed their way into jobs as housekeepers for Harold Pinter and his wife, Lady Antonia Fraser. Did they have the required experience? Of course not. Do we enjoy hearing about the triumphs and disasters that they navigate in the ‘upstairs downstairs’ routines of the Pinters’ posh London home? We most certainly do. Waterman’s comic timing is spot on, and her renditions of Pinter – complete with the obligatory number of ‘pauses’ – is very funny. Bell’s writing and Waterman’s performance take us back to another place, another time – and let us imagine sharing a home with Britain’s then foremost playwright and his aristocratic author wife.
Next up, it’s Schwerdt in Enfant Terrible. His Gareth is slightly deranged, a man obsessed with the fame and – as he sees it, the completely unjustified – success of a rival ceramicist. And Gareth has just done something dreadful, something he’s convinced will be all over the pages of the next edition of the Sydney Morning Herald. Bell has centred Gareth’s obsession around his rival’s unlikely talisman of a decades old piece of cheese. Don’t ask why! Just enjoy Schwerdt’s Gareth as he unravels years of bitterness, makes a few discoveries along the way and ponders the ramifications of his outrageous retaliatory behaviour.
The third piece, titled Lookout, sees Waterman and Schwerdt together as Jonathan and Rae somewhere on the Blue Mountains on a set made suitably gloomy and atmospheric thanks to lighting designer Matt Cox and sound designer Mary Rapp. It is dark, as is Jonathan’s mood. He has some big decisions to make. Can his new lady love be trusted? Will he listen to his doting mother’s advice? Is he ready to let go of a career, 35 years of which has been spent editing Carpet World magazine? And what’s he doing on the lookout anyway?
All three pieces move at a brisk pace under the direction of Francesca Savige. All three are very entertaining. The running time is 90 minutes (no interval) and each play has its own comic elements, some whackier than others. And you may never feel the same about aged cheese.
At the Ensemble Theatre, Kirribilli, until 14 October. Info at www.ensemble.com.au
Tickets from $43 to $80
