Genesis is a theatre production written by William Hinz, directed by Michael Mandalios and presented by A Very Theatre Company and Greg Andreas that performed at Metro Arts from the 25th April to the 4th of May. This production examines the complexities of a relationship between an atheist and religious person and how close to understanding each other and yet how far away they are from truly recognising where the other is coming from. When you add a romantic context and the fact that these two very individual individuals have grown up together with one reading Astro Boy and the other the Holy Bible, you have an interesting setup for starters. The two main leads, the only cast in the 1 hour performance, are absolutely exceptional with their acting capabilities and the emotional nuance they bring to the stage.
Ashleigh Denning and Jack McGirr are outstanding performers with a real knack for making their characters, Izzy and Paul respectively, their own. Directed in a way that makes you understand the psychological and spiritual changes and influences in a growing young person and the emotional beats in the writing makes for a curious play. Not to mention the way that growing up is displayed through Jack McGirr rolling up his pants to signify a school boy andAshleigh Denning’s mannerisms, which are unquestionably youthful and sincere. Switching between the past and the present of the worlds of these two captivating characters comes a story of understanding and ultimately misunderstanding another person and their beliefs. When it comes down to it, do we respect or merely acknowledge what our loved ones believe when they happen to differ from our own?
Set in The Lumen Room in Metro Arts in an already intimate venue comes a world of Izzyand Paul and their undeniable love for each other, despite all differences. The charm thatAshleigh Denning gives off to the audience is warm and rare to see these days, her ability to switch instantly from playing an innocent carefree school girl talking to Paul about stars and playing favourite childhood games to a grown woman with a voice of her own is astonishing. Her power and ability to maintain control of her character is something to witness. Jack McGirris also quite the character with his ability to transform himself from frustrated school boy to a man with his own way of seeing the world around him. He demonstrates an amazing control of his character and displays his inner-world through subtle facial expressions, which I’ve also noticed in Denning’s performance. Clearly skilled actors directed with a sharp vision and a stage play written with wit comes a tale for the believers as well as the non-believers, as this performance gets the audience questioning what it really means to be believe in anything at all.
The lighting production by Ross Ritchie was spot-on with light bulbs imitating stars and an overall surreal feeling with the intricacy of the set design by Anna Straker. If the intention was to make the audience feel dreamy, spaced out and slightly nostalgic through the constant switching between past and present and the numerous conversations on spiritual versus non-religious faith then that was definitely achieved in this production. The beauty of the character dynamics and the world it placed the audience in was relevant and what drew me to this production in the first place.
The fact that this performance wanted to openly discuss different faiths and what the answer and meaning to life is made me determined to want to see this show. Keep an eye on A Very Theatre Company and make sure you keep updated with the fantastic shows that come from this company, and keep an eye on where Genesis comes to next, because if you get a chance to see this show – to put it simply, you should.
25 April – 04 May 2019
Lumen Room, Metro Arts
Joanna Letic