OBSERVER: Are You There?
Theatre Works and Wild Boar Theatre’s premiere season of Are You There? was a beautiful piece of masterful storytelling, a timely dark comedy that gave a bittersweet insight into life in an aged care home.
The home in question was the fictional Autumn Dale Village. There we met three women – Colleen, Pia and Lauren – on an eventful Friday. Pia was the receptionist desperately trying to rein in the chaos, Colleen was a lively active resident while Lauren, also a resident, suffered from dementia and was off in her own world.
The world of the home was captured realistically by Irene Korsten’s script. In terms of structure, language and characterisation her writing was superb. The script never felt forced or artificial and, perhaps most importantly, never judgemental of the lives of these three women. The worker, the able resident and the not-so-able resident each had their stories told and brought to life.
Bringing them to life were three marvellous actresses, Jane Clifton (who played Colleen), Melanie Madrigali (Pia) and Rosemary Johns (Lauren). There was a great dynamic between the three of them and all performed with verve and a quiet confidence. In particular, Johns gave a sympathetic and dignified performance. Limited to saying only the words of the play’s title, her work using movement, gesture and expression was both touching and disturbing.
Performances of such tremendous quality require a great director which Rachel Baring clearly is. She allowed the actresses and script to shine and, consequently, the show was always engaging. Baring astutely varied the pace of the show, with quiet delicate moments of fragility contrasting with the hustle and bustle of life inside Autumn Dale.
Are You There? was a magnificent production which captured both the comedy and the tragedy of what it is to live in an aged care home. It is theatre of the highest quality and deserves a life beyond this all-too-brief season.
Venue: Explosives Factory, Rear Laneway 67 Inkerman St, St Kilda
Review by Peter Murphy
Pictured: Jane Clifton, Rosemary Johns and Melanie Madrigali in Are You There?
Photo: Hannah Jennings.