PERTH playwright Chris Isaacs responded to the news well-known local actor Steve Turner (Glengarry Glen Ross, A Streetcar Named Desire) had never performed at Fringe World before by writing him one-man show, The Great Ridolphi.
“He’s an incredible performer and I knew I wanted it to be a one-man show with a central character searching for the truth of someone they never really knew,” Isaacs said.
“So we started chatting about some ideas, and I went away for a bit and started writing some thoughts down, and then there was a little back and forth during that process about what we were creating and the show evolved from there.”
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READ NOWThe 29-year-old, known for Flood and Fag/Stag, said the end result was a detective story following character Victor O’Meara (Turner) as he searched through his late father’s past to find a missing painting.
“It’s full of fleeting characters, strange encounters and a little danger,” ECU graduate Isaacs said.
“O’Meara is a larrikin and it’s been great working with Steve, he brings a real playfulness to anything he does, and I think Victor’s really got that playfulness.”
Director Adam Mitchell (Next To Normal, Death of a Salesman) completes the adventure caper’s creative trio, which is presented by independent theatre company The Last Great Hunt at The Blue Room Theatre from February 9 to 20.
“Adam and Steve have worked together quite a lot and they respect each other’s work,” Isaacs said.
“It’s easy to trust them with the script because I know they’re good artists.
“Being a one-man show, there have been great discoveries in how to tell the story with only one person on stage and Adam has been really good in finding ways to move the story without it being Steve talking to the audience.
“It’s the first one-man show I’ve written and the form of that really challenged me at times.”
Isaacs said he wanted audiences to be entertained and moved by The Great Ridolphi.
“I also hope they find a little time after to maybe go and say ‘hi’ to their dad.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: The Great Ridolphi
Where: The Blue Room Theatre
When: February 9 to 20
Tickets: www.fringeworld.com.au