Unqualified is a riotously comic tour-de-force written and performed by Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore. An absurd chance meeting at Centrelink brings together the characters they portray and from that moment on it is a roller-coaster ride of situation comedy laced with affecting drama. As the two quite “differently unemployed” characters lurch from one mishap to the next, they tolerate each other warts and all, eventually learning the meaning of friendship and trust, all the while refusing to give up in the face of adversity.
It is not a conventional play at all – being in part revue, stand up comedy and sitcom. Indeed the origins of the play are to be found in a yet to be produced comedy series. Ms Hegney and Ms Moore say that under the expert guidance from Ensemble’s Artistic Director Mark Kilmurry and their director Janine Watson they believe they have met the challenge of reducing the six part series with 50 characters down to 80 minutes and with a cast of 2. From the audience’s reaction to the contemporary tuned in comedy and the standing ovation received on opening night all involved can be assured that the show is of the highest calibre.
The rapport between the two performers reminds me of the dynamic between those British queens of comedy French and Saunders, even the more recent Mel and Sue. However Hegney and Moore as accomplish stage and screen actors bring added truth and range to their comedy. The writing is exquisite, the timing in the playing extraordinary and the scenarios in this tale fresh and original.
Kudos must go to Ms Watson for keeping the show under control and creating a piece that charms, touches the soul and tickles in all the right doses. Her collaborative choices with creative designers Alexander Berlage (Lighting) and Thomas E Moore (sound) keep the action flowing within and between the perfectly paced scenes. Simon Greer costumes (with costume supervision by Margaret Gill) are precise and functional. His set suitably serves both shows in repertoire: Unqualified and Marjorie Prime. The comic touches in the “classifieds” backdrop were appreciated, as was the silence and slide of the timber flooring.
Avoiding any excess or sentimentality in its production, writing or performance this is a must see show highlighting many of our shared human foibles. Without doubt these program notes hold true “…. a hilarious, original, beautifully judged, side-splitting comedy…. by two of the most unique talents on stage today”.
Mark G. Nagle – Theatre Now
Unqualified
Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore
22 Jun – 21 Jul 2018
Venue: Ensemble Theatre
Theatre Company: Ensemble Theatre
Duration: Approx. 90mins (no interval)
Joanne hasn’t been having the best run lately. Her TV star husband has bolted to Bali with his new girlfriend and she’s out of work. During a visit to Centrelink she meets Felicity, whose oddball dad wants her to take over the family butchery and speaks to her mother’s ashes in an urn. If they ran an employment agency themselves they might make a little money and save some face. The problem is a lack of employees. But maybe, just maybe, they can stretch their own qualifications to fit…
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