Review: New Plymouth Little Theatre’s A Perfect Arrangement is as perfect as it gets

Sharren Read (left), Jazz Gallagher and Jayden Parker are three of the talented actors in this show. Photo / Monique Matthews Photography

You have to laugh, or you would cry.

That is pretty much the perfect summary of director Antony Saywell’s production of Perfect Arrangement, playing now at New Plymouth Little Theatre.

Written by playwright Topher Payne, it is set in 1950s America at the time of the Lavender Scare, an off-shoot of the Red Scare. In this fictional look at the impact of Senator McCarthy’s desire to root out all ‘undesirables’ working for the government to avoid the risk of their private lives becoming easy targets for blackmailers, the action takes place in the Washington apartment of Bob and Millie Martindale (Jayden Parker and Jazz Gallagher). Their next-door neighbours, Norma and Jim Baxter (Kelsey McEwan and Regan Tate), are seemingly regular visitors, only not all is as it seems.

In fact, the apartment is the home base of Millie and Norma, while Bob and Jim live in the adjoining flat, cunningly accessed through a literal closet. The two couples are living a pretend married life, while really in same-sex relationships. They have to hide this, for not only is it the 1950s when such relationships were illegal, but Bob works at the “Personnel Security Board” of the US State Department, where he and his secretary (and Jim’s fake wife) Norma are tasked with finding and firing any employees who might be commies, or other such undesirables such as drunks, loose women or deviants such as homosexuals.

A visit from Norma and Bob’s boss, Theodore Sunderson (Morris West), and his ditsy but well meaning wife Kitty (Sharren Read) sets the characters into turmoil as they realise they have to fire others like themselves while hiding their own true selves and lives. Life takes another turn when one of the employees likely to be fired (for her terribly unladylike habit of having more than one sexual partner in her lifetime) is Barbara Grant (Rebecca Williamson), who just happens to have known one of them in the past.

The ensuing drama unfolds in what is a much funnier play than you might expect given the subject. Topher Payne is a very talented writer, and this play is perfectly plotted to draw the audience in and truly immerse them in the drama playing out on stage.

The play has a 1950s sitcom feel to it, and under director Antony Saywell’s direction, this really adds an extra edge to the whole thing. The actors really lean into the I Love Lucy vibes the script and style gives, and give Payne’s clever writing and witty style everything it deserves, making sure it shines throughout the play.

A nicely thought out soundtrack adds to this, and the whole show is packed with witty satire, complete with a gentle breaking of the fourth wall as actors arch their eyebrows at the audience while promoting a household product in the style of a commercial, or a double entendre is made.

Antony has done a fantastic job in casting this show, every actor is perfectly chosen for their role.

Morris West, as Norma and Bob’s boss, is everything you would expect from the seasoned actor. He sets the scene perfectly, and is representative of not just the boss, but all the men in suits of the time who were convinced that homosexuality was something to be feared and punished. It would be easy to make this character the play’s villain, but with Payne’s writing, and Morris’ acting, that is never going to happen. Instead we are given a person who is a product of their time, and who we can understand rather than hate.

Sharren Read is a standout star as the ditsy, well-meaning, and perhaps less dumb than she acts, Kitty. She has excellent comic timing, and while this means the bar is set high for the other comic scenes, every actor more than rises to the occasion.

Comic timing is at the forefront when Millie and Barbara first meet, and both Jazz and Rebecca play it absolutely brilliantly. Both skilled actors, the two make the farcical scene an audience favourite, keeping the sitcom style balanced with the fact this is a pivotal moment for the characters and their respective futures.

Kelsey McEwan is an equally talented actor, and she gives a beautifully thoughtful and nuanced look at Norma - who wants a child, but at what cost? It’s her portrayal of Norma that best gives the audience insight into the real cost of the Lavender Scare - she gives a very human face to a trauma and persecution that ruined the lives of so many people.

As Norma’s husband, Jim, Regan Tate is another great actor, and he really draws out the fear a teacher, who happened to be homosexual, was living in this era. He really comes into his own near the later scenes and is possibly responsible for a few tears in the audience as his character realises just what choices they face.

Bob is played by Jayden Parker, who is a newcomer to the stage. I know this because the programme tells me, I certainly don’t know it from their acting. They may be new, but it’s to be hoped they stay as they are anything but amateur in their portrayal of Bob, who for once, can’t fix something.

Topher Payne has a real knack in creating fully real characters, making them incredibly relatable to all. This is particularly true for the female characters in this play and the actors playing those roles did him justice in how they brought their characters to life. On the flip side, under Antony’s excellent direction, the actors playing the male characters were able to ensure the men were equally relatable in this particular production.

Some clever lighting, a well-thought out set and some great wardrobe choices are the icing on the cake in this production, with everything, and everyone, working together to give this play everything it needs and deserves.

It’s heart-breakingly funny, but also heart-breakingly relevant today - so go, enjoy great theatre and some wonderful laughs, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself crying too, for all our fellow beings who are still being forced into closets today.

The Details

What: Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne, directed by Antony Saywell

When: August 2-12

Where: New Plymouth Little Theatre

Tickets: www.iticket.co.nz/events/2023/aug/perfect-arrangement