Absolute Ambiguity
The mystery of the identity of Signora Sirelli
Absolutely! (Perhaps)
A comedy that revolves around a philosophical debate on the tragic nature of truth; two characters who could perhaps both – or neither – (or not) be mad, and everything stage-managed by a small man with a pipe. The contradictory nature of Luigi Pirandello’s Absolutely! (perhaps) is perhaps best summed up in its title; last performed under the title Right You Are, If You Think So, Pirandello’s drama examines the problem of identity and the projection of self onto other people.
Sherman’s translation remains true to the inherent comedy of the play, and the end result is a slick comic philosophical debate which draws the audience into an engaging mass of contradictions. Director Elizabeth Donnelly has chosen to portray the drawingroom chorus as epitomizing the battle between old and new money.
The stylized comedic characterization works well, and Essex couple Signor and Signora Sirelli (Richard Greenberg and Lucy Page) contrast predictably but pleasingly with Caroline Brown’s Signori Agazzi and Poppy Burton-Morgan’s Dina. The probing interference of the chorus is hilariously portrayed through characterization which occasionally borders on the grotesque, as Brown and Burton- Morgan lead the bevy of gossips in an almost caricatural display of suspicion and intrusion.
The soft speech and emotional complexity of Rosie Leach’s Signora Frola provides a welcome contrast to the overt nature of the chorus. Whilst Colin Warinner frequently shifts from strained self-control to emotive frustration as Signor Ponza, Leach’s restraint and dignity as Frola presents a deeply compelling alternative to the superbly vulgar physicality of the chorus.
Crucially, both actors manage to gain a sufficient level of audience sympathy to make the characters entirely credible, enabling the antithetical versions of truth within the play to both appear authentic. Will Pooley’s Laudisi, however, is the comic apex of this production, and Pooley’s Pucklike interpretation means that he maintains an engaging presence.
Pooley’s appeal derives primarily from his seductive playfulness; the elusive nature of Laudisi’s philosophical games combines with the perpetual beginnings of a grin to produce an endearing attention-grabbing character. The rather self-conscious nature of Pooley’s longer speeches is the sole flaw in an otherwise faultless comic performance.
Donnelly uses the set skillfully as a mode of interaction with the audience, and Pooley’s mirrored monologue manages to produce the unique and unnerving impression of being pointed at by a reflection. Within the constant movement of the performance, Donnelly produces moments of stillness; the use of silhouetting and the presence of a silent Signora Ponza (Isabelle Pelly) haunting the balconies of the OFS helps to balance the occasionally frantic tension onstage.
Whilst Sherman’s translation can become slightly stagnant in its protracted explanations, the quality of this production ensures that if the script dips, the characterization certainly won’t.
28th Apr 2005