Self Esteem
If you’ve ever been to America, you may have envied, if only briefly, that can-do optimism of the folks there. In the upbeat land of the Broadway musical, there seems to be no place for the fine Australian virtues of irony, doubt and cynicism.
But any love of American optimism is well purged after seeing this black comedy from Australian writer-director Brendan Cowell. He presents a dysfunctional Australian family awaiting the arrival of their Chad.
Chads are identically cloned young men with bright smiles who are billeted to every family with the responsibility to raise profit margins, healthy practices and national enthusiasm. With the help of the Chad Corporation, Australia’s nanny state is finally doing something drastic about our lack of motivation and efficiency.
In crisp white overalls and a Yankee accent as broad as his smile, handsome Toby Schmitz makes a suitably charismatic Chad. He’s a mix of aerobic instructor and evangelical preacher, with a muscular charm suggesting something a little gay.
First to be cleaned out of the house, and well beyond its white picket fence, is the daughter’s Aboriginal tutor. The mother (Heather Mitchell) is then seduced into obsessive dieting and exercise regimes.
Slower to be Chadised, the father (Russell Kiefel) eventually gets motivated and builds fraudulent opportunities for his pest control company. Hoping to further boost the family’s vital quota of Chad points, the daughter (Robin McLeavy) is desperate to bear a Chad child. But also thirsty for Chad’s spunk is the son, with Tim Richards nicely transforming himself from laconic Aussie sloth into a porn-making queen with a New York accent.
Self Esteem madly marries the apocalyptic world of George Orwell and the saucy farces of Joe Orton. It bristles with ideas, tangents and loose threads. It’s theatrically long-winded but has enough sharp insight and wit to keep us well involved.
Cowell as the writer needs a director other than himself to cut and shape a better cooked production. But Schmitz’s automotive Chad holds it all together. It’s a multi-layered performance, especially when his own doubts and irrepressible desires threaten his cool Chad persona. The family even mumbles about getting an upgraded new Chad.
And always, beyond the picket fence, is the terrifying Village Square where the exiles suffer without any Chad, without ordained happiness, without faith, without America. The voyage to that choice is worth seeing.
Self Esteem is an STC production at Wharf Two until 12 May.
