Tape at SiLo Theatre

REVIEWED by Shannon Huse

Let's get this out of the way first. Claire Chitham is not Waverley from Shortland Street, nor is she Uma Thurman.

Which is fine by me, because in Tape she proves herself to be an intelligent actor who can deliver a strong, layered and compelling performance.

Tape is an extremely well-written play that, like all good work, makes you think and laugh at the same time.

The action takes place in Motel Six where three friends from high school are having an impromptu reunion.

Party guy Vince is a drug-dealing fireman who doesn't seem to have progressed much since school, while Jon is a successful film director, and Amy is a district attorney.

One of them is out to avenge an old crime, two have secrets, all of them have issues and, of course, nothing is really what it seems.

Written by Stephen Belber, Tape has also been made into a film with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawk.

A play and a film are, of course, quite different beasts and some would argue that comparisons can't be made but when you have seen both, it seems natural to consider the two.

In this case, the stage show comes out tops and, for my money, the young New Zealand performers leave their American film counterparts for dead. While Chitham is something of a standout because her performance is so against type, her fellow actors Phil Brown and Jeff Szusterman should not be overlooked.

They give strong performances enhanced by the fact that they are extremely well cast.

Brown has a beefy physicality that gives his character's volatile state an extra edge of menace, while Szusterman's more wiry frame is perfect for the mealy mouthed, amoral coward he plays.

Set designer Stafford Allpress is to be commended for perfectly recreating a cheap motel room.

All of the details are there, from the mis-matched cooking utensils about the stove, to the ugly lino and the bland, pastel, framed print above the bed.

It's a neat trick to stage the show in the traverse with the audience seated facing each other on either sides of the long narrow stage.

It is reminiscent of a tennis game, with the crowd keeping score of the psychological lobs and smashes of the actors.

Lighting designer Paul Nicoll shows that less is more by using three light bulbs overhead to create naturalistic lighting that serves the story well.

Other stylish additions are the costumes from Zambesi, Satori and Kmart and a claustrophobic soundtrack from Dimmer.

The show was directed by Colin Mitchell and Oliver Driver, who either had similar thoughts about the work or good conflict resolution skills, as the final piece presents a cohesive vision.

Tape was produced by the Kitchen and is part of the Silo's strong import season that has played to the venue's strength as an intimate space for actors to strut their stuff.

The marketing line for Tape tells us some things can't be erased and it is a truism for this show, and others in the season.

Tape is small but perfectly formed and the fine performances of the trio of actors will be pleasantly replayed in my mind for weeks to come.


* When: August 4 to August 21