★★★★
Griffin Theatre Company’s As We Forgive, co-presented by Tasmania Performs, traverses the complex terrain of morality.
It is the work of playwright Tom Holloway, a name that seems to be in constant earshot on the Australian theatre scene. Robert Jarman takes the stage as thee separate characters, each concerned with an emotional truth on the one hand, and “what we think we should feel” on the other.
Jill Munro’s set design is predictably sparse for a one-man-show. A red-hued stream of images – storm clouds, natural landscapes, derelict interiors – is projected on a video screen above the stage. As the lights come up, Jarman addresses the audience in the manner of a writers’ festival, thanking them for their attendance on such as “auspicious” evening. He verbally navigates through virtues and vices, mulling over what is innate and what is socially constructed. In this way, the play takes shape as a series of narratives dressed in the clothes of philosophical enquiry.
Three morality tales unfold, each with a separate focus: vengeance, hatred and finally forgiveness. The vengeance story traces the struggle of an elderly man in debilitating pain. When the centre of his small world breaks, he gains strength from a sense of righteous vengeance, vowing to “Take back what is mine”. This chapter is probably the strongest – and the longest – of the three. The hatred tale depicts a man unable to shake the shadow of a troubled childhood, before the forgiveness story introduces a man riddled with health problems and haunted by a terrible mistake.
Director Julian Meyrick ensures dynamic shifts between sections, making good use of a notoriously small theatre space. Each chapter is broken by cellist interludes (Jack Ward), generating a moral weight that matches the monologues. From the emphases in his speech to subtleties of his physical gestures, Jarman is totally engrossing as he untangles the emotional nuances of Holloway’s writing. His performance is that of a casual conversation, albeit one that is unafraid to venture into dark corners of moral ambiguity and vulnerability.
There is a thread of cynicism running through these stories. A shadow of doubt is cast over the implicit ethical framework that dictates how we behave and how we deal with pain. But rest assured, As We Forgive is more thought-provoking than depressing.
As We Forgiveis playing at SBW Stables Theatre until Saturday May 21.
