THEATRE REVIEW: Rock, Unity Theatre, Liverpool

May 15 2008 by Philip Key, Liverpool Daily Post

The play, Rock, at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool _320

THE magic of the movies worked not only on screen but off in Hollywood. It was where spurious biographies were produced for stars and gimmicks could get you to the top

That’s just what happened to Rock Hudson, a no-hoper actor who became one of the Hollywood greats thanks to a pushy agent.

The story is told in Rock, world-premiered at the Unity last night, a story that is both hilarious but ultimately sad.

It was written by Tim Fountain as a two-hander, with Liverpool-born Michael Xavier taking on the Hudson role and Fountain’s long- time associate Bette Bourne as the agent Henry Willson.

Despite the single set of an agent’s office and just two characters on stage, Fountain is able to conjure up the mad Hollywood world of gossip writers, pool-side cocktails, big deals and feckless actors using sound effects, a constantly ringing telephone and some cracking dialogue.

It is the Pygmalion story with a touch of Frankenstein’s monster thrown in, as both Hudson and Willson go on a journey together but with sadly different endings. Hudson became a rich star with Willson’s manoeuvrings, his homosexuality hidden from the public, while Willson ended up a penniless drunk.

Bette Bourne, as Willson, is the traditional hard-nosed agent, swearing, dreaming up gossip items for his “discovery” (Hudson actually had an agent already) and even getting him dressed up as an Oscar at a fancy dress party for publicity purposes.

More importantly, he turned the naive, high-voiced wimp Hudson (born Roy Fitzgerald) into the all-American actor.

Xavier is terrific as Hudson, changing as the play progresses from innocent would-be actor into a smooth but flawed man. Bourne, despite some problems with the lines, is equally strong as Willson, swaggering, bullying and generally getting his way. His final alcoholic decline, begging Hudson to allow him to be his agent again, is sad to behold.

Co-commissioned by Liverpool’s Homotopia Festival, it is a superbly written drama which can only get better on its post-Liverpool tour.

philkey@dailypost.co.uk