My Night with Reg - review

My Night with Reg was SmackBang Theatre’s second performance at the Te Karanga gallery on Karangahape Road. A laugh out loud performance proved that professional actors and direction with zero budget can produce wonderfully compelling and entertaining theatre.

Guy (Jonathan Hodge) is an aging gay man living by himself in an apartment. Guy’s been pining after friend, John (Edward Peni), for fifteen years, but has never made his affections known. His cautious and shy demeanour is confirmed by Daniel “he won’t watch pornography without a condom on his head”.

When John turns up for Guy’s flatwarming, Guy plays the awkward host, still unable to vocalise his feelings. In the theatre, you could smell the fruity perfumes of the homosexual guests as they arrived at the apartment through the aisles. Flamboyant Daniel (Glen Pickering) brought dramatic energy and humour to the stage through his stereotypical camp mannerisms. Eric (Matthew Baker), the 18 year old Bromley painter mastered his accent flawlessly as he received too much attention from the 30-something gays in the lounge.

The party conversation centres around the events that had occurred at a flatwarming many years ago. The audience, and some of the characters, find that the late Reg had slept with many of the guests around that period. We share the anxiety of the characters as they discuss the worry that they too may be infected with HIV.

The production was seamlessly executed, however the dialogue did lose momentum as the play progressed. This was made up by the nude scene which caught the attention of many. Director, Rita Stone, should be congratulated on such an excellent performance created within a short timeframe and shoestring budget. It was a great way to showcase the work of some very talented actors.