Punch and two Judys

HOWARD BRENTON'S 'Sore Throats is a curious mixture of the coarse and the poetic. A couple in the throes of divorce carry on a kind of Punch and Judy relationship, where familiarity has bred contempt and cruelty in equal portions. When the husband leaves for Canada with his lover, the wife takes in a female lodger. She shifts the whole balance of power between husband and wife, which is more than evident on his return. Brenton concentrates on the power relationships between men and women. Sometimes it seems that his ruthlessness on the subject is a form of misogyny, and he has decided that the best form of defence is attack. The Masque Ensemble have taken a stylised approach to the piece. It works mostly but it tends to obscure the shifts of tone Brenton uses, and it undervalues the desperate comedy that erupts like acne through the play. Simon Fisher's production takes place in an upstairs room at the old One-C-One folk club in North Carlton. The audience is seated randomly and informally on cushions and chairs. Kate Joyce's set design is intriguing, and suits the style of the interpretation well. It makes an interesting contrast to the more naturalistic and knockabout production that took place at the Pram Factory two years ago.