crying chair theatre | Suzy Goes See

Venue: Flight Path Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Mar 6 – 16, 2024
Playwright: Ross Mueller
Director: Jane Angharad
Cast: Emma Dalton, Mel Day, Mark Langham, Shan-Ree Tan
Images by Braiden Toko

Theatre review
A child has been murdered, and her mother, who happens to be illiterate, is selling the story. Complications arise not only because Claudia the ghost writer turns out to be the publisher’s daughter, she is also sleeping with a prosecutor embroiled in the case. There is no shortage of conflict and tension in Ross Mueller’s The Ghost Writer, in fact there are possibly a few too many convolutions in the 2008 play. Directed by Jane Angharad, the production never really finds a focus, and it becomes a struggle trying to elicit meaningful emotional investment, for what should be a gravely stirring experience.

The cast of four is however commendable for their unequivocal commitment; Emma Dalton, Mel Day, Mark Langham and Shan-Ree Tan demonstrate admirable dedication to the craft of performance, in roles that are full of depth and complexity. Set design by James Smithers is sharp and elegant, memorable for introducing a sense of drama to the piece. Lights by Travis Kecek are appropriately stark, if slightly too cold and alienating, with a notable lack of sound and music in the production, that further exacerbates our disconnection from all that is happening on stage.

We should feel deeply concerned about little Megan who has died tragically in The Ghost Writer, as we should every atrocity being reported, from every corner of the planet. It is however, quite human to respond with apathy, when all we know is helplessness, in the face of so much that is indomitable and daunting. It is unreasonable to expect boundless sadness, that we should be able to feel adequately for every disaster. What is reasonable however, is that each person insists on right from wrong, and holds firm on resisting transgressions, even when emotions are utterly depleted.

www.flightpaththeatre.org | www.secrethouse.com.au | www.cryingchairtheatre.com.au

Venue: The Actors Pulse (Redfern NSW), Nov 21 – Dec 1, 2018
Playwright: Kate Wyvill
Director: Christine Greenough
Cast: Richard Cotter, Emma Dalton, Melissa Day, Sarah Plummer, Tricia Youlden
Images by Ben Prats

Theatre review
Stanley’s Alzheimer’s disease has advanced to a stage where he is completely incoherent and no longer able to communicate. His original intentions, made in no uncertain terms, of wishing to undergo euthanasia, is of course highly contentious in a country where assisted dying remains illegal. In Kate Wyvill’s Marbles, Stanley’s three daughters wrestle with the prospect of having to fulfil an agreement that now seems too hard to contemplate. Unlike issues around birth, topics dealing with death are rarely spoken of. Australians gladly own up to being less than delicate, and although not generally a prudish culture, bereavement is certainly not a subject we are comfortable with.

Wyvill’s play offers a point of discussion that our society needs. Some of the writing requires a little refining, but the questions that it prompts are urgent ones that affect us all deeply. Directed by Christine Greenough, it is an appropriately thought-provoking production, even if its rendering of humour often feels underwhelming. Actor Richard Cotter brings dignity to the ailing Stanley, along with a quirky vibrancy that proves appealing. Caregiver Natasha is played by Sarah Plummer, who offers a valuable accuracy to the complicated emotions that are at stake. Her convincing portrayal of the long suffering daughter injects heart and soul, to a story that benefits from its sentimentality.

Marble‘s explorations into end of life decisions are made even more complex by Stanley’s energetic disposition. We are confronted with the vision of a very sick man unaware of his own suffering, and as he goes about blissfully ignorant of his own dementia, we have to think about the right thing to do on his behalf. It is evident that achieving consensus on the matter right now is unlikely, but to talk about death, and to build structures as a community that will support that inevitability, is absolutely necessary.

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