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Rock

Oval House

27th May – 21st June,08

ary Couzens

A review by Aisha Walters for EXTRA! EXTRA!

Legendary Hollywood actor Rock Hudson was the epitome of the leading man, a duplicitous stereotype created for the Hollywood golden era of the 50s and 60s.An era in which leading men and their homosexuality was hidden by arranged marriages and elaborate cover ups. So much so that when Hudson died of AIDS in 1985 many fans worldwide were shocked. Although now much is known of his homosexuality, little is known about the man who strived to conceal it, his talent agent Henry Wilson.
This play begins in Wilson’s sleek office; he is clearly a successful businessman with a view of the Hollywood strip from his office window and a wall full of posters of the films his clients have starred in. Wilson (played by Bette Bourne) is a brash arrogant man who takes ‘nobodies’ under his wing and makes them stars. It is obvious why Roy (later Rock Hudson) signs a contract for Wilson to represent him without even perusing it. The first act deals with Wilson transformation of this mailroom attendant into a star. Wilson changed Hudson’s name, his walk and lastly his voice. By the end of the act one the transformation from Roy to Rock is complete, however this alone was not enough to secure Rock employment within the Hollywood Studio system. Wilson, never one to give up devised several publicity stunts to gain Rock a studio contract. The first act ends comically with one of these stunts with Wilson asking Rock to take off everything but his pants, don a swimming cap and be sprayed painted gold, so he can attend a Oscars party as Oscar himself.

Act two deals with Rock’s movie stardom and the struggles this brings Wilson, who tries desperately to keep his sexuality out of the press. Wilson even urges Hudson to marry his secretary Phyllis to keep the papers at bay. However this union only lasts three years. Wilson sells other clients stories to give Hudson anonymity and struggles with his own sexuality and his addiction to alcohol which culminates with him (Wilson) being involved in his own illicit scandal leading to many of his clients including Rock choosing to end their professional association with him..

Leading us to the slow demise of his character with the confidence you would expect from a performer of his calibre, Bette Bourne portrays Wilson as a shrewd Hollywood exec, who would do anything to keep his clients in the limelight. Bourne’s performance is both funny (due to the cleverly crafted script of Tim Fountain) and tragic. Bourne plays Wilson as the ‘leading man’ of this story; he is truly the antithesis of everything he desires Hudson to be, making it even more poignant that his desire to create the illusion of the perfect man leads to his downfall. Michael Xavier as Rock makes a believable transformation from an awkward, high pitched boy into a Hollywood star. A two-hander can sometimes be a difficult feat to pull off but with the relationship that these two have created onstage, it becomes a triumph

Director, Tamara Harvey should take credit for the actors well judged performances. She and designer Morgan Lake managed to make the one set used in this play, visually exciting due largely to the vibrant painting of the Hollywood strip outside Wilson’s office window and the clear use of film posters to chart the rise of Hudson’s success. Tim Fountain encapsulated the career of one man in 100 minutes successfully, cleverly using one line near both the beginning and end of the play, to summarise Wilson’s rise and fall, ‘Ignore what it says in the Bible, the meek do not inherit the earth, they never did!’ This performance is well served in the intimate setting of the Oval House and will please all those who go to see it.

Box Office: 020 7582 7680
info@ovalhouse.com
Tickets: £12, Concessions £6
Oval House Theatre
52-54 Kennington Oval
London SE11 5SW

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