Up For Grabs at the Maidment Theatre

Greg Johnson (left), Roy Ward (Director, bottom), Cameron Rhodes and Laura Hill. Picture / Greg Bowker

Opening on the same night as a fierce battle for the Bledisloe Cup, ATC's production of a work by Australia's most celebrated playwright suggests a maturing of the relationship with our neighbours across the ditch.

Since the early 70s, David Williamson has carved out an impressive international reputation, but his work is seldom seen on the New Zealand stage.

His writing displays the brash self-confidence that has long been the hallmark of Australian culture.

In Up For Grabs he targets the genteel depravity of the art world with all the subtlety of a crocodile hunter.

Taking to heart Aristotle's notion that "the laughable is a species of what is disgraceful", the play tells the story of an unscrupulous art dealer who will do literally anything to secure a sale. A frenzied bidding war for an over-valued McCahon provides a canvas for a much broader critique of the wasteland of modern culture.

Comic writers are generally reluctant to admit to any aspiration beyond a desire to entertain. By contrast, Williamson's work shows an unfashionable commitment to ethical values.

In his programme notes he speaks of how comedy is distinguished from satire by its moral thrust. This might seem surprising from a writer who is perfectly happy to have one of his characters strap on a enormous black dildo, and it would be misleading to suggest there is anything earnest or political correct in Williamson's writing.

What he does offer is a socially engaged theatre in which the excesses of disgraceful behaviour are balanced by the possibility of redemption.

The story is resolved with a vision of basic human decency that some may find sentimental and others will applaud as a refreshing alternative to the bleak cynicism of the times.

In the lead role, Shortland Street's Laura Hill delivers an engaging performance, effectively conveying a sense of ambivalence as she stoops to ever deeper levels of degradation.

From the excellent support cast, Elizabeth Hawthorne gives a superb performance that draws huge laughs from the most understated gestures.

Greg Johnson was particularly compelling in his portrayal of a loathsome but vulnerable businessman who experiences a psychological meltdown as he tries to control the bidding war.

Director Ray Ward's polished production successfully transposes the play to a New Zealand setting, though the references to Colin McCahon seem somewhat reverential in comparison with Williamson's brutal mockery.