Critic’s note: I have consulted several drama periodicals in writing these reviews to ensure that my writing has been adapted to the theater critic medium. All terminology is taken from relevant theorists such as Stanislavski and Bertolt Brecht.
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Topo today
‘The Game Begins; but how does it end?’
§ Theatre.
‘TOPO’
The Brain and Mind Institute
Written by Neil Cole
Directed by Mike Bishop
Peter Hosking as Enrique ‘Topo’ Rodriguez
Downstairs Theatre, Seymour Centre
Saturday 9th June 2007
In a country where ‘rugby’ and ‘sport are synonymous, with a she’ll be right’ attitude, Enrique ‘Topo’ Rodriguez was destined to become an iconic figure in Australian Rugby Union history. Before he rose to the top, Rodriguez played 44 test games while suffering from undiagnosed bi-polar disorder, characterised by extremes ranging from highs of mania to lows of depression. Director Mike Bishop parallels this with the ups and downs of Topo’s career and life after football.
Victorian award winning playwright Neil Cole, also a bi-polar sufferer and Bishop endeavour to delve into the depths of the disorder. Cole kicks off with the events surrounding the 1984 Grand Slam tour of the UK. Topo’s (Peter Hoskins) relationships with ex-coach Alan Jones (Shane McNamara) and the renowned indigenous footballer Mark Ella (Isaac Drandich) are played out. It all sounds great on paper. However, there are some elements that should have been left on the playing field and others that should have been discarded on the training grounds and thrown away in the muddied lockers where they belong!
Whilst Hoskins unmistakably looks the part and his portrayal of Topo’s Argentinean accent is authentic, his characterisation is flawed. Hoskins’ Topo constantly swings between aggression and depression. Theatrically there is no climactic build up to the sporadic mood swings; rather their impacts are lessened with every new outburst.
The play attempts to juxtapose Topo’s larrikin footy career with his emotional episodes. Within the complex and unclear dialogue, there are some moving scenes, in particular when Topo hides from Jones, crawling on the floor, expressively whispering his compulsion to search for an unknown object.
Shane McNamara is the image of Alan Jones, accurately reproducing his mannerisms and vocal variations but is still a caricature with Cole’s script making light of Jones. An interviewer asks him whether he has something to say, “of course I’ve got something to say, I’ve always got something to say!”
Jones’ clichéd recurring lines provide a comfortable comedic relief, with Topo’s replies executed with exact timing.
For the duration of the performance the cast of four become different characters never leaving the stage. This fact was particularly well executed in demonstrating that bi-polar disease is always lurking in those that it affects. Even through its slightly disguised changes, Bi-polar never leaves the stage.
Bishop’s choice to position Topo in spotlight once he has overcome his demon is a powerful image, but could have been more meaningful had lighting been used sparingly. The over use of epic moments sentimentalises their effectiveness but contributes to the mood and atmosphere of Topo’s depression.
Bishop’s use of sound effects during the entire play is poor, tedious and inaudible. The lack of production in lighting, sound and stage may well have been due to budgetary constraints. Had they been included, ‘Topo’ would have benefited greatly.
The lack of costume apart from minor changes in hats, football jerseys and a stethoscope makes for loose character definition. Billy McPherson plays a host of parts. His dialogue with the other characters causes confusion. Is Billy Topo’s bi-polar demon, his doctor or simply the person who bashed him?
The performance’s most powerful scene shows Alan Jones and Billy in a dream sequence. Both proceed to physically tie ropes around Topo stating that they are part of his nightmare. At this time Bishops’ use of low-key lighting and eerie sound successfully shifts to indicate a change in atmosphere.
In painfully episodic scenes, McPherson’s character taunts and intermittently hurts Topo who lies on the floor complaining about his knee injuries. Hoskin’s movements and screams of suffering are over-acted and McPherson’s role should have been more explicit. This should definitely have been left on the bench and not executed in the game plan.
Topo’ is formulaic, circuitous and can be simplified as a collection of scenes disguised by minimal changes of script. One scene sees Topo persecuted as a communist. The believability of Drandich’s and McNamara’s inquisitor characters is questionable. They wear baseball hats and speak with patchy and pathetic gangster accents that sound like hackneyed South American revolutionaries. Topo bizarrely dances a slow waltz with one of the Latinos, while the other holds a deadly thumb and forefinger in the shape of a gun! Bishop chooses to shine red lights and play slow paced music. It seems, the threat of communism is very real but why it is brought up in a play concerning a bi-polar footballer is baffling. The investigators constant enquiry into Topo’s presence at his sister’s wedding has almost nothing to do with the plot apart from a failed demonstration of his family.
The performance feels raw, unpolished and thrown together the night before. With repetitious scenes, primitive theatrics and an ambiguous and trite script the performers are caught in an amateurish game.
The positive of the play is that financial proceeds will aid the Brain and Mind Institute and the Black Dog Institute in the fight against bi-polar disorder.
Contrary to its title, ‘Topo’ is destined to play in the downstairs theatre.
Flip
