by Marley Morris
In Edward Albee’s ‘The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?' Martin (Will Robertson), an intelligent, wealthy New Yorker with a wife and son (Stevie and Billy, played respectively by Sarah Nerger and Tom Coates), falls in love with a goat. Somewhat surprisingly, however, this is perhaps not the most shocking revelation that Albee has in store for us, in what becomes a play that discusses most of the major taboos, including incest, pedophilia, and, of course, bestiality.
It is clear from the start that Guy Levin’s production seeks to highlight the contrast between Martin’s secret and the otherwise normal, settled lives of his family. We watch as Martin’s pleasant home life is brutally destroyed by his inability to set firm boundaries on his idea of love. The stage – set up originally in the style of a tidy, unexceptional family home – is slowly torn apart by Stevie’s reaction to her husband’s sordid explanations, culminating in the final bloody tragedy of the play. And although on many occasions the situation is laughable – at one point Martin recounts his experience of going to a meeting equivalent to Alcoholics Anonymous, but for people who commit bestiality – it is rarely light-hearted; a strong feeling of discontent runs through the entire play.
Robertson’s performance, however, is not one that lends much sympathy to Martin’s character. His speech is disjointed and faltering throughout, clearly in an attempt to show that Martin seems to be on a different plane of thinking when compared with his friend Ross’ (Max Seddon) steady realism. Although this works on some level, it can be a little frustrating for the audience (as well as Stevie), and it is hard not to feel that more could be done with the role. Seddon, too, is not quite able to pull off his character’s hard-headed nature, making his betrayal of Martin feel a little out of the blue. With Nerger, on the other hand, we see a much more believable performance: in particular, her scream of agony after being confronted with another detail of Martin’s secret, followed by the casual remark “go on”, works wonderfully.
In fact, for the most part this production brings across the key ideas of the play successfully: we are not just treated to a barrage of taboos, but are asked to question whether certain kinds of love should be permitted or prohibited. The word play is also delivered nicely – when Martin describes the first time he met Sylvia, at the “top of a hill”, both Ross and Stevie separately correct it to “crest”, each in an inappropriately pedantic manner. Yet at times the pace of the production slows, and the rhythm of the dialogue can feel a little artificial. There are some scenes which could do with a little more energy, particularly in a play that is fairly static as a whole. Overall, however, the production is a successful one, which gives the audience a lot to be shocked at, as well as much to think about.
The Goat runs at the OFS through November 3rd at 7:30 pm, with a 2:30 pm Saturday matinee.
