THEATRE
NB Trigger Warning: This play deals with suicide.
Written by Patrick Livesey
At Trades Hall, Carlton until 23 Oct 2022
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
This review is published only on this blog and I will do a radio review of it on Arts Weekly 3MBS on Sat 22 Oct 2022. KH
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| Patrick Livesey in Naomi photo by Jack Dixon Gunn |
You might not expect to laugh during a production about the suicide of the playwright’s mother, but Patrick Livesey’s verbatim play, Naomi, peppers sad reminiscences with laugh-out-loud stories about Naomi’s character and antics.
In this play, directed by Bronwen Coleman, Livesey (they/them) stitches together extracts from interviews with family members and friends of Livesey's late mother. The extracts are arranged in a roughly chronologically order, beginning with Naomi’s own mother Nan’s recollection of Naomi as a plump, pretty, “sexy” baby. (Yes, an odd way to describe a tot but that’s what Nan thought.)
On a near empty stage, effectively using only voice and gesture to convey multiple characters from Naomi’s life, Livesey shifts from Nan to Naomi’s older and younger sisters, her friend from dental nursing college, her daughter, stepdaughter and second husband, Vince, who is a large-than-life character who boldly describes their fights and Naomi’s volatility.
Her friend Nora gives an insight into Naomi’s mercurial behaviour, her heavy drinking and unwillingness to admit she is an alcoholic and seek help. The image we see as we listen to all the characters describe her, is of Naomi being a clever, charismatic, seemingly manic-depressive and alcohol-dependent woman. She was fun – until she wasn’t.
Livesey has created a warm and honest tribute to Naomi by representing her through the eyes and words of those who knew and loved her. We listen intently, slowly building our own picture of her from the characters Livesey inhabits on stage. At several points in the piece, Livesey attaches items that represent Naomi’s life to a triangular grill upstage.
The last scene, when Livesey describe Naomi’s final days, are wrenching, particularly after the light and funny moments that precede it. Prepare yourself for a tragic end but enjoy the celebration of Naomi that come before.
by Kate Herbert
Directed by Bronwen Coleman
Music by Biddy Connor
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