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A Thing Called Snake.
In discussing his role in the new[ish] Stephen House play 'A
Thing Called Snake' Vincent Crowley expresses his regret at
not being able to observe the development and evolution of the
play. In a way it's a surprising attitude , partly because so
many actors are so narcissistic, and partly because it forced
me to think back over how the play has evolved in over two years
since I first heard the raw script read.
I have no way of knowing how the final version for stage of 'Snake' is likely to turn out under the direction of Ross Ganf, but it's immediately apparent that the play will be significantly changed, not least of which is due to some key additions: Adelaide saxophonist Chris Soole is performing the music score, playing live through the performance; there's a massive multi-level staging unit for the production, and some very alluring costumes courtesy of Miss Sym Choon. Most of all, the cast and crew have put in a lot of hard work on the theatrics of the piece.
"It seems to me to be a very svelte and very sexy piece of work," suggests Crowley, who plays the part of Snake.
"He's an older version of the younger man Adam [played by Jason Klarwein] who sees a chance to help him, and show him how to avoid making some mistakes," says Crowley, who is really enjoying his dalliance with sleazy and crime ridden cross dressing evil, courtesy of his role in '...Snake'. "It's a new thing for me, and when I read the script I was honestly quite a bit taken aback - was this a role for me? Could I do it onstage, and do it justice."
Crowley returned to Adelaide for this part after some eight years away, having been a dancer with the Australian Dance Theatre during the stewardship of Meryl Tankard. Most of the intervening years have been spent by him dancing professionally across Europe, and it seems what sealed the role for him was his ability as a dancer; there's a level of movement and dramatic cabaret needed for this performance which required ability above the ordinary. "Don't get too hung up on me describing it as cabaret," Crowley cautions. "This is way more than a musical."
'A Thing Called Snake' is really a biblical tale - an allegory - or extended metaphor, although playwright House insists he never much intended on the biblical connections. With a tempting older figure (the svengali) Snake, and a younger couple (Adam and Eve) immersed in a life of drugs, petty crime and sin, there's some pretty clear messages playing out here. Eve is played by Alexandra Schepisi, and it is her lot in the unfolding drama to be the temptress, the unclean woman who is blamed for the downfall of Adam. In House's morality tale, Adam and Eve are anything but innocent, but they appear to be no match for the conniving Snake.
Like many of House's plays, '... Snake' is set on the seedier side of life, scratching society's underbelly - as it were. "It's so very interesting because of that," says Crowley. "He spent a lot of time researching and getting to know big cities and how they work when he was writing it. When I was living in Sydney a few years ago I lived just around the corner from Kings Cross - towards Potts Point - and it seems to me that Stephen has the setting and the people just right.
"You could call this a sleazy and dirty kind of show, but that's only the half of it. What we've come up with - and what Ross [Ganf] and the others envisage has turned out to be a really interesting kind of performance. It's really rich and lavish in places; I've got to be careful not to give too much away, but some of the costumes are absolutely glamorous and there's so many things happening. Because it's based to an extent in and around a nightclub this isn't some dark dreary back alley kind of thing."
He draws a deep breath and smiles when I probe about how rehearsals are coming along... "I'm really really enjoying myself," he allows. "Part of that is the challenge, because this is very demanding theatre, but I'm feeling good about it, mostly. I know I'll be ready for it."
Alex Wheaton
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"A Thing Called Snake' opens in The Space on Thurs 13 Oct as part of the InSpace Programme.
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