The Habib Show: A Documentary Live On Stage

Just got back from seeing The Habib Show over at Theatreworks in St Kilda. It was an ambitious work that set out to examine the political climate in Australia since the attack on the World Trade Centre through the story of Mamdouh Habib, an Australian citizen who was held in Guantanamo for three years before finally being released without being charged.

The show was billed as a live documentary due to the fact that 99% of the dialogue has been taken from transcripts and media sources but it takes the form of something similar to a variety show. Howard, Bush and Ruddock are definite marks, and with the words they all uttered on the matter they are easy ones. Unfortunately, the production expended too much effort belittling these figures by lampooning them rather than letting them hang themselves with their own ropes.

There were certainly some intriguing scenes brought about by the interesting juxtaposition of ideas but even as this process gave the production much of its power it was difficult to shake the feeling that such selective and careful editing was how these issues were distorted by the media in the first instance.

If you've followed the "current affairs" in Australia, The Habib Show has nothing new to say. It is interesting to see the whole affair collected into one show; it a truly horrific story and yet another sorry blight in this government's history, but the broad comedy and ineffectual musical interludes lessen the impact and undermine the production's message. It could work with a larger, toned-down cast but unfortunately at the moment it is one to avoid.

Thanks again to Richard. I'm thinking of getting +1 tattooed on my forehead, what do you think?

Tags: theatre, theater, review