Neighbourhood Watch is the ‘inspired-by-actual-events’ story of a
relationship that develops between young Australian budding-actor Catherine and
her elderly Hungarian neighbour Ana. The latter is the play’s driving force
played sublimely by Miriam Margolyes against recent NIDA graduate Eleanor
Stankiewicz, portraying the young actor innocently enough but perhaps with a
little too much naivety. This assessment derives from the fact that, the
character Catherine, loosely depicts the experiences lived by playwright Lally
Katz in the late 2000’s, who is far from naïve now, nor was then. I first met
Ms Katz in 2003 whilst we were both waiting on tables at a lively Melbourne
restaurant. Her infectious, zany disposition was difficult to ignore. She
curiously existed detached from the day to day maze the rest of us live and was
more an amused observer. A surface encounter with her, may lead one to
incorrectly assume that she maintains a child-like wonderment of the world
filtered by rose coloured spectacles, when truthfully she subtly disguises a
fierce intellectual and emotional wit that steers conversation into unworn
ground with profound and hilarious outcomes. It shames me to say, that our
acquaintance, although friendly, was only that; I was oblivious that Ms Katz
was a writer, even after several evenings of post-work socialising. Such is the
combined simplicity and enigma that is Miss Katz. Indeed, she had been writing
for several years by that stage and had already had her works performed by
drama companies at Melbourne University. In fact, during a short discussion
with the play’s director Julian Meyrick, I learned that Ms Katz is already one
of Australia’s most successful playwrights. Of working writers today, Ms Katz is
said to have the highest conversion of completed plays to production represented
as a percentage. This is an incredible feat for a writer still in their
thirties and auspicious of the career to come. Excuse the tangent, back to the
play.
Catherine embarks on a path in this story many of us like to believe we
have the capacity to undertake, but somehow neglect to; which is to form a
family-like bond with a neighbour. Sure, we talk to them over the fence, wave
to them at the shops and may even go to their Christmas BBQ, but do you ever
sleep-over on their lounge or relive their deepest pains from a war torn past
in a therapeutic fashion? Catherine (Lally Katz) does. The story idea is simple
yet powerful. In the ubiquitous narrative, our Anglo-centric culture is
depicted plainly as a descendant of the mother empire that founded our colonies
with all the inherited etiquettes we recognise in a suburban street. This is
especially evident in that the majority of humour the audience enjoys is from Ana.
The character possesses a sharp mind and bears no illusions of life’s
realities, so the humour comes from when she is being her frank and forceful
self which smashes through any barrier the everyday street gossiper may erect.
The juxtaposition this plays against the conventional neighbourly manner of the
remaining characters is telling of our cultural skin spawned through a
conservative filter.
The construction of the production’s elements are interwoven
professionally and couple the symbolic sets and lighting deftly with the
naturalistic acting. The oversized white Monopoly pieces that serve as the
street’s houses, epitomize the youth of our society and it’s blandness in
contrast to any other culture you can name. Geoff Cobham’s lighting exemplifies
this point by using the same set pieces, lit from the inside, to transform them
into quintessential European timber-framed homes which immediately implants the
idea of a more historic, world weary society being represented on stage when required.
All through the story, the use of sharp, square-shaped spotlights that slide
with the story’s focus makes the viewer feel like a voyeur, as the fourth wall
is turned into a neighbour’s window they are peering into.
Altogether this is a beautifully written play directed superbly by Mr Meyrick, filled out with
remarkable performances by Miriam Margolyes and Eugenia Fragos. From this
experience, I’m reminded of the rich mix of histories that are stitched
together to forge contemporary Australia. I’m also inspired to develop the
required courage to become more familiar with my neighbours whilst in the
process considering a balance of trust and caution.
