THEATRE
Monument by Emily Sheehan ***1/2
At Red
Stitch Theatre, St. Kilda, until September 3, 2023
Reviewed by Kate Herbert
This review was first published in The Age Arts online in Live Reviews section of Arts on Thur 17 Aug, then was in print in The Age on Fri 18 Aug 2023. I will also talk about it on Arts Weekly, 3MBS, on Saturday 19 Aug at about 10.45am.
Click this link to see The Age Arts page review: Monument The Age KH
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| Julia Hanna, Sarah Sutherland, photo by Jodie Hutchinson |
For some mysterious reason, women disclose their intimate lives to beauty therapists, but when the client has a position of political power, a public profile and high status, the stakes are significantly higher, and indiscreet disclosures are potentially perilous.
Such is the scenario in Emily Sheehan’s play, Monument, directed by Ella Caldwell. Recently elected Prime Minister, Edith Aldridge (Sarah Sutherland), wakes in her pink-draped, luxury hotel suite to find Rosie (Julia Hanna), an unfamiliar, young make-up artist, perkily preparing cosmetics to transform Edith into a glamorous, powerful icon for her first speech as Prime Minister.
What follows is an intense, sometimes hilarious status struggle between pert millennial Rosie and brusque, entitled, demanding Edith. Brick by brick, Edith’s walls collapse as Rosie cajoles and advises about image, make-up, hair and outfit, countering the decisions of Edith’s absent advisers and husband who are stuck in Melbourne.
For 100 minutes, we witness in real time Edith’s transformation from bare skin and bed hair to fashionista powerhouse. Watching the minutiae of cosmetics application, colour palette choices, contouring and blending is fascinating.
Sheehan’s well-observed dialogue is often funny, and her characters’ vastly differing foibles, flaws and talents make them fine foils for each other.
Sutherland is compelling and credible as Edith, shifting from pursed-lipped and haughty to vulnerable, exposed and desperately anxious, then to critical and suspicious, and finally to confident and fiercely ambitious.
Hanna is youthfully buoyant as Rosie who is obliging, occasionally confrontational and has a pithy quote, meme or Kardashianism for every situation.
Monument sees modern women wrangling complicated power dynamics with their men: Edith lives in the shadow of her late father’s political legacy and hides her dysfunctional marriage, while Rosie infantilises herself for her controlling boyfriend.
However, Sheehan misses opportunities to incorporate the inadvertent leaking of politically sensitive information, or to tackle broader socio-political and feminist issues.
In the closing scenes, Sheehan introduces a short-lived, negative turn in the relationship that seems contrived and, because this conflict is played so aggressively, the rapid reconciliation seems equally unlikely. If the argument were played less overtly, with supressed disagreement and suspicion, their rapid appeasement might be more credible.
Edith’s backstory leaves questions unanswered: the timeline of her elevation to party leader and ensuing election to Prime Ministership is unclear, and it is unlikely her minders would not arrive well before her maiden speech.
Despite some shortcomings, Monument is diverting theatre that features fine performances and explores society’s expectation for powerful women to be political dynamos and show ponies.
by Kate Herbert
Cast:
Julia Hanna – Rosie
Sarah Sutherland - Edith Aldridge
Writer: Emily Sheehan
Director: Ella Caldwell
Set & Costume Design: Sophie Woodward
Lighting Design: Amelia Lever-Davidson
Sound Design & Composition: Danni Esposito
Asst. Director: Ibrahim Halacoglu
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