My Body My Blood, by Margaret Kirby, 21 Aug 1994

THEATRE

At Chapter House St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, Mon-Sat 7.30 pm until Sept 10, 1994

Reviewer: Kate Herbert around 21 Aug 1994

This review was published in the Melbourne Times after 21 Aug 1994

 

Margaret Kirby's new play, My Body My Blood, , directed by Marcia Ferguson, investigates the attitude of the Anglican Church to women in religious roles, a profoundly emotional area of debate still raging in the church and the women's movement. A quote in the play from an ancient order of nuns, tells the story clearly. "Did they make it hard for you too? Did you fight? Were you strong?"

 

Mary (Tammy McCarthy) is deeply affected by the death of her friend and mentor Beatrice (Brenda Palmer), a deaconess desperate for the church to recognise her "priestliness". Mary questions her own relationships with church and family. Flashbacks draw parallels with 17th century women battling male prejudice, accusations of witchery, and denial of their healing skills.

 

The acoustics are appalling but generally actors dealt with the problem. There were some glorious solo, choral and canon singing which established the poignant, melancholy flavour of a mind in religious turmoil. I wanted more. The script screams for atmosphere.

 

This is not a serious and self-important script, although at times it lapses into religious polemic. It is peppered with funny observations about character, religion, gender and power. Sliced white bread and cooking sherry are used for an improvised communion and the absurdity of the whole gender argument is highlighted when an early Christian bishop simply changes "Julia" to "Julius" when confronted with a woman apostle in the Bible.

 

The ensemble is strong but the fraught verbal battles between two sisters, Mary and Martha, were the highlights for me. McCarthy is suitably addled and passionate as the heavily pregnant and religiously questing Mary but my accolades are saved for Maud Davy who is warm, eccentric and scintillating as her prim and subservient sister, Martha.

 

Scene changes to 17th century England are confusing and slow, which seems to be a production rather than a script problem. It needs clearer shifts in accent, space, lighting; something to give substance and clarity to the flashbacks.

 

The choice to perform in the woody, candle-lit interior of the Chapter House at St. Paul's Cathedral was inspired. The action has as a backdrop, enormous and imposing (in both senses of the word) portraits of Anglican bishops and audience trails upstairs past doors adorned with the nameplates of exclusively male clerics. Unfortunately, the stage design clashes radically with this environment.

 

Kate Herbert