Since its first staging in 1974 John Romeril’s The Floating World, has been largely missing from our stages … until now. Sam Strong’s latest production has just opened at the Stables with the Griffin Theatre Company.
Set on a cruise ship in the 1970s, Les and Irene Harding are enjoying a long awaited vacation, and Les is availing himself of the opportunity by consuming more drinks than would be recommended. In this setting, the pair meets and mingles with other passengers and crew. From here, the play could be seen as a comedy, performing a sendup of such cruises, the people onboard and those that work there. However the play takes a dark turn. Les saw service during World War Two and spent time as a prisoner of war in a Japanese concentration camp. As the play progresses Les begins to have flashbacks to his harrowing experiences and they gradually begin to invade his reality.
The play makes an interesting analysis of a man who has been coping with his inner-demons. Les’ final monologue reveals the true extent of what he has experienced and the horror that he has tried to repress. It is a common story among soldiers: they are made to believe that they should be able to cope with any conditions, to endure and come through – it is what is meant to be a man and a soldier. But these horrors never truly leave; they are always lurking below.
The Floating World represents a fine piece of writing. Romeril has a keen grip on the uniquely Australian style of comedy, which he mixes well with the tragedy; likewise he successfully blends realism and surrealism, making the text rich, layered and engaging. At times the play may suffer from scenes being too long, particularly the closing of both Acts I and II, which continue for longer than necessary once their point is made. However, this is the only drawback from what is otherwise a brilliant piece.
To the actors: Peter Kowitz plays Les Harding, a difficult role, but one in which Kowitz is compelling as this lonely, isolated and suffering man. There is a beautiful weight to his performance – it is as if the world is truly on his shoulders. If anything is to be criticised it is his initial pacing and clarity during the earlier sections of the play. The audience needed more time to settle into his gruff, rather ocker Australian speech patterns. This aside however, Kowitz tackled the colossal monologue at the play’s conclusion with great success.
The supporting cast was just as strong. Justin Smith (as the boat’s comic) did a brilliant job with his intentionally bad jokes and was good fun to watch. Valerie Bader as Irene Harding, Les’ wife was hilarious and touching as a naïve woman in an unhappy marriage. Special mention must go to Justin Stewart Cotta as Harry/McLeod, a particular standout. Cotta is a talented performer with a commanding voice for stage. Cotta has great presence which gives him the freedom to convincingly intertwine his fragmented roles.
This is a fine show from a collection of talented artists and is well worth a look. The Floating World is playing with the Griffin Theatre Company until the 16th of November. For more information see their website: http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/
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