Imprisoned By The Era

Newcastle Herald

Thursday October 30, 2008

Ken Longworth

WENDY Ratcliffe was amazed at how relevant the situations in The Prisoner of Second Avenue are to the present time when she first read the comedy by Neil Simon.

The play, which premiered on Broadway in 1972, looks at a middle-aged married couple who live in a comfortable high-rise apartment on the title's New York thoroughfare.

In the opening scene, wife Edna Edison wakes at 2.30am to find husband Mel brooding in their dining room.

When Edna asks what is wrong, the morose Mel lists the things that have been increasingly bugging him about life in the city noises, smells, flimsy walls, malfunctioning equipment and hostile neighbours.

But things get worse for Mel a few days later when, as part of a company belt-tightening exercise, he loses the job he has had for 22 years.

Wendy Ratcliffe, who plays Edna in DAPA Theatre's production opening on November 7, was startled to note that her character's dialogue includes the lines, "What's happening, Mel? Is the whole world going out of business . . . I thought we were such a strong country. If you can't depend on America, who can you depend on?"

Don't let this mislead you into thinking that The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a sombre play. While Simon (The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park) is dealing with serious issues including unemployment and its impact on relationships he does so with great humour and compassion.

Mel and Edna eventually triumph over their adversities, in a final scene that invariably has audiences applauding loudly and even cheering.

The production's Mel, Richard Thomas, notes that Simon has "funny, throwaway lines, even in the middle of a serious scene".

When Edna gets a job to tide the pair over, Mel spends much of his time at home, a virtual prisoner.

He's annoyed when Edna comes home to prepare his lunch, pointedly commenting that she should be out having sushi as he did when he was working.

"But they bounce back from every fight and in the end their experiences strengthen their relationship," Wendy Ratcliffe said.

In the decade before the play was written, New Yorkers experienced major disruption to their lives including a citywide garbage strike and a massive power blackout, events that were on Simon's mind when he wrote the play.

Director John Radvan said he'd noted over the years that New Yorkers were always complaining about life in their city, yet there was no way they would ever leave it.

"The same can be said about people who live in Sydney or Newcastle, as the trend towards high-rise inner-city living grows," he said.

While The Prisoner of Second Avenue focuses on Mel and Edna, the characters also include Mel's brother and sisters, whom Edna calls in at one stage as she tries to get Mel out of his depression.

Ron Gillett plays brother Harry, with Lesly Stevenson as sister Pearl, Maree Henry as Jessie and Rowan Radvan as Pauline.

Like most siblings who want to help a family member in distress, their views on the form that help should take are diverse, and their often at-loggerheads discussion gives the play one of its funniest scenes.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue opens at the DAPA Theatre, 145 Beaumont Street, Hamilton, on Friday, November 7, at 8pm. Other performances are on Saturday, November 8, at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday, November 9, at 2pm, Wednesday, November 12, at 8pm, Friday, November 14, at 8pm and Saturday, November 15, at 2pm and 8pm. Tickets: $18, $15 concession. Bookings: 4962 3270.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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