All God’s children in need of tweak
Morningstar is a family drama with all the human elements you would find in a daytime soap opera: the black sheep of the family, the domineering older brother, the wise and gentle older sister, the experimental younger sister — and of course, the baby who will inevitably experience a coming-of-age.
But Albert Belz’s play has a twist. This is no ordinary family; these are the children of God and while peace reigned on high for an age, the coming of man has created dissent in the ranks.
Led primarily by Lucifer (God’s first son and his favourite), the angels are slowly drawn into two camps: those seeking a slice of Eden and those who wish to remain on the edge of heaven.
The premise has plenty of potential (despite its familiar theme) and Belz’s writing is masterful and lyrical. However, the production itself is inconsistent. The archangels are more akin to Greek gods frolicking on Mt Olympus; battles reach their zenith with rounds of wrestling set to club music and the epic nature of the drama gets swallowed by the growing
emphasis on the desire for sex.
Bronwyn Turei, Stephen Brunton and Blair Strang (as Archangels Gabriel, Michael and Lucifer respectively) are highly capable and offer good performances but within this theologically unsound cosmos, there is little room to make these characters more than cliche´d archetypes. Richie Grzyb as Archangel Raphael stands out as he transforms from an innocent (if slightly bratty) cherub to a more aware and thoughtful angel as he reconciles his position between sides.
Directed by Romy Hooper, the premise for this production has ambition but both its cosmological and production values need to be refined. The set is simple with projected Grecian pillars for heaven and white furniture; while Eden is lush with tropical plants. Costumes are a strange mix of Greek and Roman god and gladiator styles while the sound design pays a strange homage to both Christian chants and disco.
Potentially an epic drama, Morningstar’s enthusiastic cast carry the two-hour production forward with energy — but in its current incarnation it is still has far to go to reach its dramatic potential.