Review: The Zoo Story

Jerry has been to the zoo, but before he tells Peter why it will be on the news tonight, he wants to have a proper conversation.

I also went to the zoo on Sunday. The animals were fascinating, but as I followed the endless queues of strollers, some disturbing aspects became apparent. The orangutan gazed through the glass with a little too much recognition. The tiger paced relentlessly back and forth; perhaps lonely, perhaps hungry, perhaps for no reason whatsoever.

Melbourne City Dionysia's production of 'The Zoo Story', presented as part of Mudfest 2011, will take you to the zoo as well, but it's not a family weekend.

Peter (Henry Shaw), a "truly enviable innocent" or perhaps a "vegetable," is a New York publicist with a wife, two daughters, and two parakeets. Jerry (James Jackson) is a transient in a rooming house, with a coloured queen in a kimono next door. One afternoon they meet in a park and Peter's tidy world is turned upside down.

Edward Albee's 'The Zoo Story', directed by Shannon Loughnane and Clancy Moore, is a story of connection between humans (and animals). Their direction is subtle, allowing the creeping horror and tension to build. The set is two park benches that come to represent the vast distance (or perhaps not so vast) between Peter and Jerry. The play is structured around the conversation that they have. A highlight is an extended speech in which Jerry describes the flamboyant menagerie of characters in his rooming house. James Jackson and Henry Shaw bring all the nuances of Albee's play to life; the humour, the horror, and the connection. Their chemistry is spot on. What could have been a vicious satire of conservative values is a story of two men, searching for conversation and companionship, in the zoo that is the city they live in.

'The Zoo Story' continues Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th, and Friday 26th at Union Theatre