In the middle of last century two of our major artists, painter Rita Angus and composer Douglas Lilburn had a relationship, the full extent of which has only become public in the last few years with the release of letters from the Lilburn estate.
Rita and Douglas
The letters of Rita Angus to Douglas Lilburn
Adapted for the stage by Dave Armstrong
Music for piano by Lilburn
Directed by Conrad Newport
Concert Chamber, The Edge, Auckland
Until 27th November
In the middle of last century two of our major artists, painter Rita Angus and composer Douglas Lilburn had a relationship, the full extent of which has only become public in the last few years with the release of letters from the Lilburn estate.
The new play Rita and Douglas by Dave Armstrong uses the letters which Rita Angus sent to Lilburn and recounts the couple’s early sexual liaison in the early 1940’s and the continuing volatile relationship they had for the next thirty years. At times the two were very close while at other times there was great gulf between them with Rita appearing to harbour a life long passion bordering on unrequited love.
The play provides three different threads in creating the interwoven lives of the two artists. There is the piano works of Lilburn which are played by Michael Houston, the letters written by Rita read by Jennifer Ward-Lealand and a variety of large projected images which bind together the story of their lives - Rita’s landscape and portraits paintings, photographs of Rita and Douglas and street photographs of Wellington and Christchurch.
The letters range from love letters to political rambles as well as insights into her mental state and creative drive.
Jennifer Ward-Lealand as Rita inhabits the role with a superb confidence and understanding of the character or at least the created character. She looks remarkably like the artist and costume designer Nic Smillie has done an excellent job in helping create the image of the artist by dressing her, not just in clothes of the period but clothes based on those she painted herself wearing, or those she is wearing photos taken at the time.
Ward-Lealand manages to capture not only the spirit and enthusiasm of the artist but is also able to introduce the silences, hesitations and phrasing which are indications of an imaginative, troubled and restless mind.
Both artists were producing work which took a new approach to both musical and visual colour. They produced work which had simplicity, lightness and clarity which was trying to change the way the art forms were perceived.
Surrounding the dialogue is the music of Lilburn – his piano pieces from the early 1940’s through till the early 1970’s. They provide a musical parallel to the painting and we can see and hear how the two artists were responding to the changes taking place in art at the time.
Michael Houston not only plays superbly he also manages to carefully integrate the music into Ward-Lealand’s monologues. Much of the time the music seems to describe the landscapes and facial structures of the Angus images. Houston seems aware of this, modulating the music so that it becomes a commentary on the dialogue as well as the images.
Much of the time the letters are turned into monologues with Ward-Lealand sometimes addressing her words to the audience and sometimes directly to the drawing or painting she has on her easel but at all times there is sense of her trying to engage and reach out to Douglas.
Great use is made of the large projected images of her work so that when she speaks about Motueka and working in the fields we are presented with images of the area and when she speaks about drawings she makes of herself we also see them.
This combination of text and images takes on a greater emotional power when she speaks about her miscarriage and we are shown Madonna-like images of mother and child, her reflections on what she had lost. Her commentary provides a remarkable insight into the reasons for choosing such subject matter.
Then, later in life when she produces work of the sun goddesses she reveals that they are based on what her daughter would have been like if she had lived.
Such sequences are emotionally raw and powerful with Ward Leland providing a perceptive and sympathetic understanding of the artist.
Douglas and Rita is an exquisite gem of a play with dazzling performances by Jennifer Ward Lealand and Michael Houston.
