Everyday we are faced with choices, stretching from the profound “what do I want to be?” to the mundane “one sugar or two?” Hangman, billed as “a comedy…about torture”, questions the choices we choose to make important and the reasoning that goes into making these decisions.
As the audience filed in, the all male cast was already on stage in a set reminiscent of a messy 1970’s office using props such as a rusty saw, petrol can, air pump and croquet mallet to mime torture methods. A fellow audience member remarked the repetitive music made it “like a DVD title menu”.
We follow newcomer, Alphonse, (Luke McMahon) into an underground government organisation, staffed with “the best of the best” which is seemingly frozen at a point in time but at the same time transcends any particular time. Orwellian rhetoric such as “we cannot be compromised” is repeated whilst Eddy’s (Kerry Glennon) references to “the war” could apply to any conflict. Each character has different reasons for inflicting torture: duty, past experiences and personal weakness. Puccini’s Nessum Dorma is used in a similar role to Beethoven in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange: as the cue for the torturous interrogations to begin.
Al Green’s dramatic lighting design was very effective in dividing the set and highlighting the tension in the interrogations scenes: the defensive silence maintained by the victim being interpreted by the interrogators as a threat. The Victim (Will Stanton), who silently presides over the entire play via videolink, should be commending for maintained his composure throughout the entire 60 minutes. The set was a good use of the space however non-tiered seating made front row seats very sought after.
I felt the characters of McDeath and Eddy were too forceful at times – subtlety would have been more effective. Ben Volchok as the mute Lexington Chase made good use of his movements and gestures to make his presence felt without saying a word. The timing of the ensemble was excellent and there was certainly no holding back in the more physically violent scenes. The neutral accents were also a welcome detail. Kerry Glennon looked every inch the turtle necked 70’s nerd, however, more attention to detail in make up and costumes in general would have aided the visuals. There was good use of the video link to show characters’ inner emotions
The humour was to be found in the bizarre group dynamics and ethical dilemmas faced by the characters as they approach the subject of torture. There is even a swipe at bureaucracy when the team’s interrogations are hampered by the absence of a report from another division that will never come. Alphonse’s internal dilemma of trying to retain outside values in this insane world where the enemy changes but the job description doesn’t dares the audience to make a choice and live with the consequences. Even if it means we are letting the innocent be tortured for the greater good. After all, “the only bad choice is no choice at all”. An enjoyable exploration of a confronting subject matter which far from trivialising it; leaves you with plenty to mull over.
Review by Justina Lui
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Posted Friday 21 August, 2009. Updated Wednesday 26 August, 2009.
