Louder Is Not Always Clearer - UK/AU Digital Season ***1/2

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