A feel behind the wheel

Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize winning drama “How I Learned to Drive”, Peel the Limelight’s fourth work in less than two years, met with such an enthusiastic response that the two-weekend run at the intimate Spark Drama’s studio sold out completely and an additional performance had to be added to cope with the waiting list.

The company continues to fly high after the highly acclaimed “The True History of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World” staged last year as part of Bangkok Theatre Festival 2015.

Director Peter O’Neill’s arresting production stayed true to the original spirit of the play. And even though the story was set in the 1960s-1970s, way before sexual harassment and child abuse became hot issues, and in rural Maryland, far away from our tropical paradise, the pivotal messages travelled well across time and socio-cultural differences. While the audience was mainly made up of expatriates, the well-translated surtitles meant that Thais understood and enjoyed the play too.

The story was a reminder, as powerful as it was heartfelt, that in such a case the physically weaker and younger need not always be the victim.

The two main cast members, Thai actress Siree Riewpaiboon as Li’l Bit and British actor James Laver as Uncle Peck, and the three members of the chorus, American actor and musician Nick Gallagher, South African actress Mandi Manson and British singer and musician Claire Stanley, formed a strong ensemble. However, sitting on a side section, it seemed that some of them forgot about the 10 audience members on the two side sections, thus forcing us to peek round at their actions. Their speaking and singing voices, though, filled the small space and occasionally I wondered if the pace of the play would be quicker and the performance more realistic if they lowered the volume.

Thanks to her good command of English, Siree blended in with the native speakers although her characterisation of Li’l Bit in her early to mid-teens was questionable. And while Laver’s work on his accent and physicality as a married middle-aged man was praiseworthy, his sexual desire was so subtle that, despite being the initiator, he was clearly the victim from the beginning.

Working with the limited space and probably a limited budget, production designer Kochawan Chayawan efficiently selected the necessary set props. These included the car seats, which were significant to the telling of the story and also served as dining chairs and a bed. I do wish though that she had made use of the traffic light pole – the only set prop not to be pressed into service. 

The audience could see how Li’l Bit matured over the course of the play thanks to Kochawan’s choices of costume, although those frequent onstage costume changes looked clumsy and delayed the pace. 

All Peel the Limelight performances are followed by discussion between cast and crew and the audience, which confirms the company’s aim to provide theatrical food for thought in this culinary heaven.

 

GO ASK AGNES

- Peel the Limelight is planning to put John Pielmeier’s controversial drama “Agnes of God”. For details, check www.PeeltheLimelight.com or Facebook.com/PeeltheLimelight.