Matt Byrne Media. Holden Street Theatres. 24 Oct 2010
‘The Breakfast Club’ is a cult 80s film by writer John Hughes that traces a day in the life of 5 teenagers stuck in detention on a Saturday. The group could not be more different, but by the end of the day they discover that despite these differences they could not have more in common. The character-focused story explores stereotyping, social politics and relationships.
Byrne has taken a huge gamble in attempting to mount a performance of such a well-known film; audience expectations are high, and translating a film to stage is never an easy proposition – particularly such a close character study. Sadly for me this production only made it half way there.
Before walking into the theatre I knew that solid casting and tight direction were the crucial ingredients this show would need to succeed. The actors all show great potential, and each develops an interesting character to watch. In this piece however, they have been left to their own devices too much and there is a real disconnect on stage that makes the play jar.
The cast is comprised of Jamie Hornsby, Kristen Tommasini, James King, Kacy Ratta, Loccy Hywood, Brendan Cooney and Matt Byrne. There are some strong performances amongst the group, but the material is complicated and their potential is left unexplored by Byrnes directing. Each of the young players work hard on their own stories, but the whole is still raw, unrefined, and in need of some tough direction to create a polished piece.
The ensemble would benefit from a lot more pace throughout the show; serving both to lift the energy during the arguments and heighten the poignancy of the silences. During intense scenes, the amount of pacing, shouting, desk-banging and feet stamping inevitably detracts from the real, raw emotions; this could have been better handled by Byrne. The choice to use American accents is understandable, but poor execution made it distracting, and it pulled focus at crucial moments in the story.
As the productions designer, Byrne has developed a very workable set which succeeds in locating various scenes throughout the show clearly and with minimal set changes. The intermedial use of projected photography and music does a wonderful job at guiding audience members who are unfamiliar with the film through the action.
Whilst I wasn’t entirely captivated by this production, equally I didn’t find it hard to watch. The truth is it doesn’t reach the same poignant and emotional heights as the original, and the journey doesn’t feel nearly as rewarding, but it is by no means a bad show, so if you are interested to see what Byrne and his young cast have done with a cult classic, I would still encourage you to check it out.
Paul Rodda
When: 22 Oct to 8 Nov
Where: Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: bass.net.au
