‘Straight Jacket?’ or ‘Much Ado About Nothing?’

In spite of lucrative career ventures, Jerry (Courtney Wilson) has fallen on hard times. But, it is his visit to Ellie’s (Dahlia Harris) home for dinner that unravels an intriguing past, shrouded in rumour and great mystery. So it was on Sunday, in the Patrick Brown-penned play, Straight Jacket? staged at Centerstage Theatre, New Kingston.

Straight Jacket seemed to be influenced by William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, with both plots taking the audience in a circle.

In Straight Jacket, the love between Ellie and her politician husband Greg (Glen Campbell) at the beginning of the play was restored at the ending of the play. But not before surviving gossip of infidelity and hearsay, and answering the provocative question of ‘jacket’ in a family. Brown, wittily, puts the pressure of anxiety not only on the characters, but also on the audience. Like the characters, they, too, must form their opinion on the tabooed social issue.

It was a creditable performance by the cast of four: Harris, Wilson, Campbell and Sakina Deer. Deer’s portrayal of the deranged Shonda provided comedy through some fantastic timing in actions and words.

Campbell, as Greg, was required to portray calm, while protecting the sensitive male ego, challenging the gender order. In this case, Campbell’s character was not the infidel in the story, and so the anticipated reaction would be one of outright anger. Instead, the experienced actor was forced to internalise his role, and temper the anticipated behaviour of Greg. This is in contrast to his usual bombastic acting, illustrated in a number of plays.

Creditable performances

Physically, Wilson was the more believable, staying true to what must be an awkward choice of walk for an actor. But, to his credit, he was successful in convincing the audience that Jerry was indeed a jockey who had a bad accident. Harris, too, gave a creditable performance as Ellie. Her stage business reinforced her character’s profession as a fashion designer. Co-directors Brown and Trevor Nairne, must be commended.

However, along with the well-defined entrances and exits, that is as far as the creativity of the two directors seemed to go, in blocking the play. Little imagination was evident in moving the actors on the stage. In some instances, the movements were too predictable or looked staged.

The action of the play takes place in the home of Greg and Ellie. The elaborate set beautifully reflected the characters’ affluent status. This was illustrated in the detailed wall and luxurious looking furniture. The turmoil in Greg and Ellie’s relationship was also captured creatively in the textured wall used to separate the kitchen from the living area.

For the other technical areas, such as lighting and props, the team deserved a standing ovation. Overall, this PG-rated play is worth seeing. It is loaded with enough comedic lines which comfortably balance the seriousness of the message.