THEATRE ONLINE
UK/AU Digital Season (16 minutes) By OnPar/Mr & Mrs Clark
Based on the theatre production by Mr and Mrs Clark
Digital version: Written & Produced by Gareth Clark & Jonny Cotsen; Written & Directed by Toby Cameron
Live streamed & available to watch until 31 March 2022 https://stream.sydneyoperahouse.com/videos/louder-is-not-always-clearer-uk-au-digital-season
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
NB:
The show is accessible to D/deaf, hard of hearing and hearing audiences through
the use of English, British Sign language and creative captions.
L- R: Anita Reynolds, Francesca
Dimech ,Jonny Cotsen, Russell
Daniels - still pic from video
Louder Is Not Always Clearer is a diverting and illuminating 16 minute online piece based on the theatre production by Mr and Mrs Clark is a treat.
It begins with Jonny (Jonny Cotsen) at a dinner party with a small group of guests and friends. We experience the dinner through Jonny’s eyes – well, actually, through his ears because Jonny is Deaf although he wears hearing aids, uses both sign language and spoken language and lip-reads like a demon.
A dinner party may be fun for the others, but for Jonny it is a trial because most of the guests, apart from his friend Sally (Anita Reynolds) are almost totally unaware that the ambient clatter and chatter of the dinner table is a muted cacophony for Jonny and that they need to face him when they talk.
Jonny salvages the evening for himself by sloping off to ‘get beers’. He then takes us on a snapshot tour of his experiences in a hearing world. This includes dancing at a nightclub where he can feel the bass, picking up a girl in a bar, the scariness of having sex with the lights out so that he can’t lip-read, his speech lessons, a video chat with Mum and his karaoke song.
The short work may be a little preachy by the end, but it is an eye opener for anyone who feels challenged or awkward with the Deaf. Jonny make really bloody clear that he is Deaf not stupid! So don't treat him like an idiot.
Available to watch until 31 March 2022
By Kate Herbert
Cast
Jonny Cotsen as Johnny
Anita Reynolds as Sally
Russell Daniels as Wally
Francesca Dimech as Kelly
Lois Drago as Abbey
Gareth Clarke as Speech Therapist
Kevin MCurdy as Military Man
Judith Cotsen as Mum
Sammi Dunn Karaoke BSL Interpreter
Dancers: Linzy Na Nakron, Patrik Gabco, Lukas Gabco
Digital version: Written & Produced by Gareth Clark & Jonny Cotsen; Written & Directed by Toby Cameron
Based on the theatre production by Mr and Mrs Clark