Pinter's wake-up call on human suffering

Michael Lawrence and Rachel Nash are a couple in crisis in 'Ashes to Ashes'.

Disturbing. Bleak. Confronting. Violent: It hardly sounds like, well, a jolly night out at the theatre, which is precisely the reason why some - at least in New Zealand - shy away from Harold Pinter's work.

The provocative and challenging works of the multi-award-winning playwright, whose accolades include the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature, dare audiences to get out off their armchairs and confront the world.

Pinter has won plenty of fans around the globe for his uncompromising stance on the need to be ever-vigilant against fascism and hatred - themes which reverberate through most of his 30 or so plays.

Aucklanders have ample opportunity to accept Pinter's dare this month when two of his most overtly political - but shorter - plays are teamed together for a double bill. Ashes to Ashes and One for the Road cut across geographical and chronological boundaries to express Pinter's deep concern about human rights issues.

Both feature Pinter's trademark colloquial language and long pauses in dialogue which, say the actors and director involved in the Auckland production, mean there is no room for error or improvisation.

In the 45-minute Ashes to Ashes, Rebecca (Rachel Nash) and Devlin (Michael Lawrence) are a middle-aged couple whose marriage is falling apart. One night, Rebecca shares with Devlin memories of her ex-lover.

In the face of Devlin's jealousy, these fond recollections take on a less rosy hue as they become haunting visions of frozen cities and railway station platforms crowded with frightened men, women and children.

As the personal becomes increasingly political, the couple struggle to communicate with each other, raising many questions about the nature of their relationship and past together.

One for the Road (35 minutes) is a character portrait of Nicolas (David Aston), the head of an intelligence agency in an unknown totalitarian state whose paramount purpose in life is to cleanse the world for God.

When Gila (Rachelle Duncan), Victor (Henry Mackenzie) and their son Nicky (Keanu Allonby) are brought in for interrogation, Nicolas uses "special treatment" to bring them round to his way of seeing.

"We don't know what Gila and Victor do," says Rachelle Duncan, "but they're intellectuals or academics or artists of some sort - the very people who are often the first to be persecuted in repressive states."

One for the Road was written in 1984, after Pinter and fellow playwright Arthur Miller visited Turkey to learn more about human rights abuses in the country. Pinter was asked to leave a dinner at the American Embassy when he openly criticised the ambassador in an after-dinner speech.

While the play maybe more than 20 years old, David Aston says it is as timeless and relevant today as it ever was.

"I think if you met Nicolas at a dinner party, you'd find him erudite, charming and civilised. He'd perhaps be a gourmet who might love Mozart violin concertos but, at the same time, he is utterly committed to carrying out his Government's policies.

"It's very telling that at the end of the play, Victor is unable to talk. We don't know what has been done to him but his voice has been taken away."

Director Eero Suojanen believes the two plays are a "wake-up" call to humanity and prompt questions about how sensitive we are to the suffering of others.

That's not to say they're written only for intellectuals with an interest in current affairs, says Michael Lawrence.

Lawrence recalls attending a Pinter workshop in London run by someone called Gary who had worked alongside the writer/director. The first person Lawrence saw was a young man with a shaved head, tattoos and a ring through his nose. "I said, 'I'm looking for Gary', and he replied [Lawrence puts on a strong south London accent] 'Yeah, that's me'."

Pinter's work isn't pompous; it's beautifully written and it's accessible to everyone.

"It is challenging but not everyone wants to sit and watch bubble-gum. Sometimes people want to be provoked and made to think."

* What: Ashes to Ashes and One for the Road

* Where: Maidment Studio, Auckland University

* When: September 7-24