Content warnings: Use of herbal cigarettes, coarse language and sexual references, depictions of violence, mentions of suicide.
The California sun is baking inside Ad Astra’s black box theatre for Bakersfield Mist. Directed by Jennifer Flowers, the clash of character between Steven Grives’ sophisticated art expert and Fiona Kennedy’s crass ex-bartender in this Stephen Sachs two-hander makes for an engaging performance about art and authenticity, based on real events.
Hard-drinking and foul-mouthed, ex-bartender Maude Gutman is not the average fine art collector. But New York art expert Lionel Percy finds himself in her trailer in Bakersfield, because Maude claims that a painting she bought for $3 at a junk shop was painted by Jackson Pollock, and may therefore be worth millions. The two become embroiled in a debate about art, authenticity, meaning, and mistakes; Maude may be a rough diamond, but she has done her research on both Pollock and Percy. Lionel, meanwhile, puts his faith in years of experience and education, as well as in his artistic intuition in the first few seconds of seeing a piece of art. Both characters have something to prove, but their intentions are at odds and the play centres on this tug-of-war.
Lionel is recovering from a professional disgrace early in his career, and Maude has experienced her share of heartache – her husband and beloved son are both gone. Parallels are drawn by the script between Maude’s son’s life and Pollock’s, and the Ad Astra production used a photograph of a young Jackson Pollock to depict Maude’s son.
Bakersfield Mist is inspired by the true story of Teri Horton, a retired long-haul truck driver who bought a painting for $5 at a Bakersfield junk shop in 1991. Teri had bought the painting as a gag gift for a friend, but when she tried to resell it at a garage sale it was suggested to her that it might be a Pollock. Since then, Horton sought to have the painting verified by experts, and her son continues to do so after her death in 2019. As well as inspiring Bakersfield Mist, the story is the subject of the 2006 documentary Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?
Fiona Kennedy was dynamic as Maude Gutman, her comedic rough edges balanced by her unpretentious sincerity. Grives’ performance as Lionel Percy was expressive, and there were many moments of engaging silence, including his first viewing of the painting, as the audience watched his face closely for changing expressions. This kind of close-up storytelling is only possible in intimate theatres like Ad Astra, where it can be utilised and appreciated by an audience in such close proximity to the stage.
Design by Bill Haycock not only included the creation of a possible Pollock painting, but also conjured the lovingly cluttered interior of Maude’s trailer, decorated with treasures from a variety of eras. A low beam along the set’s ceiling added to the close intensity of the setting, and shades of burnt orange evoked the heat and dry of the California desert.
Lighting design by Geoff Squires also contributed to the play’s setting and emotion. The final scene and slow fade to black gave the audience room to pause and consider their own opinions about art, authenticity, and who is qualified to make decisions about either.
Bakersfield Mist will be performed at Ad Astra, Fortitude Valley, from 11 May – 3 June 2023
For ticketing and further information, visit the Ad Astra website
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