COMFORTABLE EYEBROW ARCH – ⭐️⭐️
The Dramatic Premise
The First Lady of a small, unnamed European country is getting ready (albeit slowly) for a State Funeral. Her husband, the President, is – evidently from sounds emanating from off-stage – in the bath.
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
The story line unravels slowly as the First Lady bounces from subject to subject. Her favourite dress. What the Chaplain thinks about current and future affairs. Can her lady in waiting wear black when she is not related to the deceased? Her deep adoration for her dog. The death of the colonel. The near-death of her husband. (Wait! What?) And how her anxiety-ridden dog died from heart failure.
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
We finally meet the President towards the end of Act I. But Act II belongs to him. The State Funeral is done. He’s now holidaying in Portugal with his mistress. He gets progressively more and more drunk as he regales the young lady with thoughts on all manner of subjects, including that his country is too small for him and he wishes he was born in a bigger one…
An Acquired Taste
After kicking off the 2024 STC Season with the riotous comedies, A Fool in Love and No Pay, No Way, this production of The President represents, shall we say, a change in pace.
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
The audience needs to tap into the slow and deliberate march of the narrative, disguised by dialogue delivered in syncopated rhythm.
Themes are stated, ignored, repeated and overlapped. But with each repetition comes more backstory, more insight into who these characters are and how they got to where they are when we met them.
Sublime Performances
The lead actors, Ireland’s Olwen Fouéré and Australia’s Hugo Weaving, are each splendid in their respective roles, although they only share the stage for about fifteen minutes.
Fouéré is compelling in her role as an icy, conflicted and somewhat anguished First Lady.
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
But, for me, Weaving stole the show. From the moment he entered the stage, in his boxer shorts, he commanded attention. And what a wonderful lecherous, President-cum-cad he plays! Absolutely revolting. But absolutely mesmerising.
And speaking of performances, this production ends with an element of audience participation I have never seen before. I won’t spoil the surprise because neither I nor those around me seemed to see it coming. But the unexpected ending saw the audience leave the Roslyn Packer Theatre with smiles on their faces accompanied by some animated chatter.
For more information about the joint Gate Theatre (Dublin) & Sydney Theatre Company production of “The President”:
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