Theatre review: Rural take on dodgy deals

Trees Beneath The Lake by Arthur Meek. Photo / Michael Smith

Family farm a claustrophobic setting for look at fraud and the world of high finance.

The fraudulent world of high finance has furnished plenty of high-stakes drama in recent years but the quintessentially Kiwi protagonist of Arthur Meek's new play is a far cry from the Wolf of Wall Street.

His self-effacing cunning might earn him a modest notoriety as the Weasel of Clutha Valley.

Michael Hurst's portrayal of a despicable conman is a finely nuanced performance, particularly when seemingly genuine attempts at human decency are revealed to be calculated moves to manipulate members of his own family.

With such an unlikeable character at the heart of the play, the audience sympathies are directed elsewhere and engaging performances from a superb ensemble uncover plenty of vitality in the explosive conflicts of a rapidly disintegrating rural family.

Catherine Wilkin is particularly appealing as a hard-case Kiwi battler with forthright views on child-raising and personal responsibility.

Her male counterpart is convincingly brought to life in Peter Hayden's warm portrait of a salt-of-the earth Kiwi bloke. Perhaps the play's finest creation is an instantly recognisable version of the over-indulged, couch-hugging teenager played with wonderfully gormless charm by Leighton Stichbury.

Theresa Healey wins considerable sympathy as a long-suffering wife while Brooke Williams' finely judged performance generates plenty of humour as an astoundingly incompetent legal counsel.

Playwright Arthur Meek has a great feel for the Kiwi vernacular and the dialogue is bubbling with wit and charm.

As secrets are revealed there are plenty of sharply dramatic jolts but also some unevenness in style with a flippant treatment of teenage suicide contrasting with the earnest tone of the 'sisters are doing it for themselves' resolution.

Simon Bennett's assured direction maintains a cracking pace while Tracey Collins' superb set captures the claustrophobia of a crowded farm house with the gnarled trunk of a remarkably well-constructed apricot tree representing the tenacity of rural communities.

Theatre review
What: Trees Beneath the Lake
Where: Maidment Theatre until September 27.