Intense reunion in motel

By NIGEL GEARING

Claire Chitham loves playing a character in the drama Tape so diametrically opposed to Shortland Street's Waverley.

Chitham first fell in love with the film version of Tape, directed by Richard Linklater, about three characters who, after 10 years, have an impromptu high-school reunion in a cheap motel room. In the movie, they were played by Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard.

In the first New Zealand stage production of Tape, Phil Brown plays Vince, a fireman and dope dealer, while Jeff Szusterman is Jon, a film-maker on the verge of making it big. And Chitham plays Amy, an assistant district attorney who dated Vince in high school. The three wage a psychological war over their intertwined past and a taped conversation.

Beneath its suspenseful surface, Tape examines questions of motive, memory, truth and perception.

Getting either Chitham or co-director Colin Mitchell (with Oliver Driver) to say anything more about the plot is like talking to a brick wall. "The real joy of this play is watching the events unfold and the chain reaction that it causes, so the less you know going into this show, the more rewarding it is," Chitham says.

"My hope is that everyone who comes to the show feels the need to head out for a drink afterwards to discuss what they think happened and the characters' motives."

Chitham's role is miles away from that of the naive, warm Waverley in the television soap. "Amy has that American confidence and directness. It's fantastic to be playing a part in a play written less than five years ago, as all the themes and contents are so relevant and contemporary."

Stephen Belber's original play was made into a movie in 2001, shot on digital video by Linklater, whose credits also include Waking Life, Dazed and Confused and Slacker.

"Linklater shot the film incredibly simply in one location," Mitchell says. "The play itself shares a similar simplicity, which allows the audience to focus completely on the characters."

Staying true to this intent, there are no theatrical devices that may cause distraction on stage. The set faithfully depicts a standard motel room, but there are no special lighting changes, no musical score.

Such stark realism, with events unfolding at a superfast pace, appeals to Chitham.

"There are no scenes in this play," she says. "It is continuous action, which makes the interaction between the characters intense but rehearsing it a challenge. We can't come in and say we'll go through scene three today."

Chitham says that after seeing the film she had no problem pitching the idea to friend, director-actor Oliver Driver.

"He was so busy at the time and that is why we have ended up having two directors and three actors," she says. "It has been a great way to work actually. They have always been on the same page. From an actor's perspective, it has been a luxury."

Driver and Mitchell have worked together at the SiLo and the Auckland Theatre Company.

"I think we've worked on seven or eight shows together," Mitchell says. "What's good about it is that during rehearsals we both pick up on different things and the results are usually complementary. At times Ollie's been giving actors direction on how to react to a certain line while I give the actor a suggestion for how to deliver it."

Chitham has loved every minute of it. "After this I'll continue down my uncertain path as any actor does. It's a tough path, but it's also incredibly interesting."

Performance

* What: Tape

* Where and when: SiLo Theatre, August 4-21, Monday and Tuesday, 7pm, Wednesday to Saturday, 8pm