THEATRE
Mother by Daniel Keene
At Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, until 21 Sept 2024
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***** (5)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 7 Sept 2024. KH
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| Noni Hazlehurst in Mother_photo Brett Boardman |
Mother by Daniel Keene is an unforgettable theatrical experience. It is a jewel that doesn’t sparkle, but burns with the pain of Christie (Noni Hazlehurst), a homeless, alcohol-addled, ageing woman.
In this provocative and heart wrenching solo performance as Christie, Hazlehurst grabs us by the scruff of the neck and shakes us about like a rag doll, not releasing her vice-like grip until the tragic end.
Keene’s dialogue and Hazlehurst’s vivid performance are unsentimental but sympathetic, bold but sensitive, hurling us from aching hilarity to searing tragedy in a moment. Not a breath can be heard by the awful last moments of revelation.
Directed with muscularity and delicacy (Yes, I know that sounds impossible!) by Matt Scholten, Hazelhurst’s audacious characterisation is nuanced and impeccably detailed. She is totally credible as this homeless, loveless, hapless woman and captures her physical friability with fluttering hands clutching at her stained clothing, tottering steps that barely keep her in balance and filthy bare feet that tell the story of the long and painful track Christie has trod to bring her to this place.
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| Noni Hazlehurst in Mother_photo Brett Boardman |
Hazlehurst spends 70 minutes on a stage that is littered with dead leaves, the detritus left behind by others and her own meagre collection of items. She hugs to herself a grubby sling that seems to hold something precious as she moves painfully through yet another relentless day. We travel through Christie’s memories of her baby boy, her husband Lenny, her drinking “the good stuff” with Mrs. Kennedy, blackouts, visits to the hospital, pubs and back streets. The environment is expressed simply and clearly with just the call of a magpie, the ding of a tram or the distant chime a church bell.
Keene’s dialogue is both lyrical and gritty, capturing the grime of street language and the poetry of the heart. He is back in territory that feels like theatrical home for him. Many decades ago, I savoured every season of the Keene/Taylor Theatre Project, and his short plays about the underclass, the disenfranchised and dispossessed, many of which were performed in venues as down-at-heel as the characters he depicted.
We would pass Christie on the street and swipe our gaze away, deleting her from our view. Her history and herself may be obscured from our vision, and she may appear to us as a dirty, down-and-out drunk, but she never gives up and has the will to continue to live her life, such as it is. Somebody else might be worse off – but not many, she quips wryly.
Mother is theatre at its best – and what an impressive and thrilling team this actor, writer and director make!
By Kate Herbert
Cast
Performed by Noni Hazlehurst
Creative Team
Directed by Matt Scholten
Associate Director Andrea Mina
Produced by Hey Dowling
Set, Props and Costume by Kat Chan
Lighting Design by Tom Willis
Sound Design by Darius Kedros
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