Sydney: The Serpent's Teeth — Vibewire.net

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Sydney: The Serpent's Teeth

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submitted by Max Rapley — last modified 2008-04-29 21:47

Approaching the issues of war and conflict, especially one that is currently unresolved, is no easy task. We have been bombarded with news reports and images of the War on Terror. The characters are well known to us and the events are repetitive and predictable. How then can these issues be made relevant and entertaining on the stage? Sydney Theatre Company may have the answer, Max Rapley writes.

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The Serpent's Teeth by Daniel Keene is a double bill of two one act plays, Citizens and Soldiers. Both of these plays explore the effects of conflict on the lives of everyday people who are in one way or another are swept up in it. Citizens is set beside a wall, the reasons for which are unknown to the characters. The wall's sole function is to serve the ends of those who built it, to divide. Soldiers tells the stories of 5 families who await the return of the bodies of 5 soldiers killed in the Middle East.

It is so refreshing to watch a piece of theatre that is not only polished and technically flawless but also daringly abstract and innovative. The lighting and set design is highly effective. The wall that they have built is a character in itself with a threatening presence, aided by some impressive sound design. The STC Actors Company are committed to a precise and fragmented style of performance that is reminiscent of Becket, yet they still managed to move the audience with the weight of Keene's original and potent dialogue. Standouts were veterans John Gaden and Peter Carol, along with Luke Mullins and Amber McMahon.

The Serpent's Teeth is thought provoking and challenging for an audience, so much so that it can be difficult to engage with. It focuses on themes of grief and endurance in the face of ongoing conflict through metaphor. The characters serve as a mouthpiece for the message of the script rather than the script conveying experiences of the true characters of these issues. The result is often alienating and clashes with moments of poetic and emotive dialogue that pop up sporadically. This is a powerful piece of theatre, just make sure you go with your head switched on.


Title: The Serpent's Teeth

Location: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Dates: 19 April-17 May 2008

Bookings: (02) 9250 1777


Photo courtesy of creative commons





Citizen journalism

Posted by Rachael Turk at 2008-04-30 17:41
The way current affairs translates to art and traditional forms of expression compete against modern modes of communication and audio-visual transmission is a valid area of exploration. The fact that you can take on such a mission in such a short space is admirable! On a technical level, there is some mixing of imagery: 'moving the audience' contradicts 'the weight of Keene's dialogue', for example – one seems fluid, the other heavy and static. And while we're talking adjectives, there are a few too many in the second and third paras – challenge yourself to find ways of evoking these descriptions in other ways, such as empowering your verbs. Rather than saying the show is "thought provoking and challenging for an audience", for example, you could say that it bates or disorients the audience, needles the imagination...

Thanks for reading!

Posted by Max Rapley at 2008-05-01 11:32
The show operated on a lot of different levels and fitting all of that into a 300 word review was hard! I suppose the contradicting imagery was supposed to reflect the contradictions of the play, but I will try to express this more clearly next time. I really like the idea of empowering verbs and will take that on board also. Thanks so much for the feedback!