A barbed little satire, "The Ugly One" reminded me in some slightly ineffable way of Amelie Nothomb's short novel Fear and Trembling, in its brevity and apparent slightness coupled with a cutting edge, piercing focus of vision and intimations of larger concerns, all imbued with an allegorical flavour (it also reminded me of Yasmina Reza's "Art" and "God of Carnage"); also, it embodies a certain kind of postmodernism in which the modernist antecedents of that later -ism are clearly apparent.
Moreover, the Sumner proves an excellent space in service of a crafty staging which makes good use of lighting and a small handful of props (most notably a large supply of green apples, often being significantly peeled in line with the plot, which revolves around the surgical makeover of a remarkably ugly man's face and all that follows), and the talents of Alison Bell, Kim Gyngell, Patrick Brammall and Luke Ryan, form well matched to content in a way that allows the play to emerge naturally.
"The Ugly One" is the work of a young, contemporary German writer, Marius von Mayenburg; the Malthouse's staging of his (quite different) "Eldorado" a few years back left a great impression on me. Definitely one to watch and explore further.
(w/ Steph)
