6/10

A young man is in his home. He fixes himself a gin, neat, and then wanders around until he finally sits and begins to write, with some moody music playing in the back. Deep in thought; somewhat lamented by inspiration and with a silent, flaming passion of sort, you figure he must be the “distressed writer”. But most of all, he is handsome. Inevitably, it will be the first thing that captivates you. You want to know what he is writing. You want to immerse in his state of mind. You want to connect to him and understand him. You are, after all, in the same room as him.

And then the door opens, the lights come on, a young lady walks in with bubbly enthusiasm and everything is back to the dull tedium of normal. The young man reverts back to his assumed life.

Does Method, directed by Jude James, display the contrast between romanticism and romance. Is it meant to? Here is Adam, enclosed in his dim and calming solace of literature, which is then intruded by the introduction of Juliet, his fiancée – the love of his life. Their life together is dramatically rearranged by the presence of Juliet’s new friend, a garish man named Cat. You instantly sympathize with the character of your choice, because they are so believable. Not because they are brilliant actors, but because their selves match the characters they play.

Adam, with his articulate manner, enticing beauty and a perfectly convincing tone, is played by the well-spoken Thomas Pang. Tom’s love for the dramatic art was cultured since he was a young boy, and theatre is, if not completely, about romanticism. Medina Azaldin, who plays Juliet, appears to be a very sweet girl with her proud relatives congratulating her at the end of the night. Juliet’s awkward coquette was perfect for the cherry-topped youthfulness of this novice actress. And then there’s Gonzalo Morquecho – Cat, the loud Spanish gay man. He was probably the only actor on the stage floor and, it just so happens, his character is a shit-stirring impersonator. When I said hello to Gonazalo post-play, he was anything but garish.

And because each actor personally handled their character befittingly, Jude James’ Method was some sick reality show stirred with the popular presence of death. There are two ways to watch this show: 1) as a black comedy, or 2) as a deep, dark, twisted psychological tale - only if you squint really hard.

It wasn’t heavy. Sure, you are constantly left guessing and, at times, on the edge on your seat. But any American TV show can do that now. Hence.

With a little less intrigue and more mind-fucking madness of the human psychology, maybe Method could have been what it was meant to be.

The very, very good-looking cast of the reality show: Gonzalo Morquecho, Medina Azaldi & Thomas Pang.

Method is one half of the double bill feature, Imports, which is currently showing at Indicine, KLPAC