Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Giving Up The Ghost


Pop Up Theatre presents, GIVING UP THE GHOST, by Rivka Hartman, in the Limelight Theatre on Oxford, Oxford St., Darlinghurst. 17th October - 3 November.

GIVING UP THE GHOST, is a new Australian play, by Rivka Hartman.

A husband (Chris Orchard) is dead and in a coffin at home. His wife (Elaine Hudson) is preparing for the mourning. Her daughter (Madeline Withington) has the option of a bright future in research at a University but is caught up in a relationship with a wealthy distractor (Andrew Wang). Neither parent are happy about this. The wife conjures the spirit of the husband and together attempt to strategise the ways and means to lose the boyfriend.

The major part of this play has the aura of a Jewish 'New Yorky' comedy but neither the writing, nor the Direction, from Rivka Hartman can find the right tension and timing to bring it to life for the audience. The play works best when the emotional 'kicker' for all this delusional affect is revealed - that the Wife, also a Doctor, has assisted her Husband to death. Euthanasia. He was suffering from terminal cancer and she, now, has a worrying sense of guilt - this dramatic edge was the best part of the night.

GIVING UP THE GHOST, is the first production in a new performance space in Sydney: LIMELIGHT on Oxford, run by Julie Baz and David Jeffrey. It is a pleasant space on the top floor of a three storey terrace in Oxford St - 58 seats. A Bar and Restaurant on the ground floor and a live music and bar space on the first floor. Next up, at LIMELIGHT, is a production of the musical COMPANY.

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