Tadhg Mackay
I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into the Hannah Playhouse. I knew that this show had won the Sydney Fringe New Zealand Tour Ready Award and that it was a “coming of (middle) age story”.
To see an award winning show is obviously going to raise one's expectations but as someone still in their 20s, I was worried that I was not going to enjoy it, that the material was not going to gel with me. In fact, had I known the story was in part about religious upbringing (something I myself did not experience), I would have probably stopped there. After watching it, I feel like a fool for all the incredible theatre I must have missed for judging a show by its poster. This show was a joy to watch and I am incredibly glad I saw it.
The audience settles in front of white sheets and cloth dangling over furniture and drooping from the ceiling ringed by a semicircle of cloth to create the stage (Andrea Espinoza). In the center lies a mound of cloth which I think to be covering a dead body. The entire set echoes an abandoned house, covered in sheets waiting to be sold. Alison Bennett has their back half turned to us and is comfortably bopping along to the Imagine Dragons pre show music. An odd choice yes, but one that feels like a knowing wink before the punchline. Throughout the show, Chloe Weeks’ lights bounce through the folds of the fabric and giggle under sheets. This is one of the shows where I believe the designers must share the same mind, everything worked immaculately together. The cohesion of all the design elements elevates this show to a higher standard before taking into account the story and performance.
For the rest of the review I shall be referring to the performers by name as they are only referred to in the program as “Performer”. I don’t mean to suggest that the performers are necessarily these characters and vice versa.
Now, the opening of this show is the only thing that did not “click” for me. The mound in the middle is not a dead body but instead Rose Maher crawling out in an interesting piece of physical theatre like an animal slowly morphing to a human. Martelle Hammer pops out from behind a table and both she and Bennett begin to watch Maher move. The two bicker at each other, discussing Maher and what she is doing, that she “looked at me” and what it means. Right now writing this review, I don’t know what it means and who Hammer and Bennett are to each other, to Maher and to the world of the play. This is not to suggest that the performances aren’t great, just that this particular audience member felt like he was left with questions that he shouldn’t have.
That aside, Bennett and Hammer are an excellent duo, supporting Maher as she begins to recollect herself and remember why she is at this funeral. They play the various characters in Maher’s upbringing. Hammer brushing off tough questions as suitably stoic parents and Bennett as an incredibly believable young boy. They allow this story to be played light despite its darker topics. They are deft in their timing and play. The Director (Ali Gordon with additional direction from Jo Turner) was on the ball through the entire show, the space never felt empty and the performers moved with each other in such a way I swear I felt the stage tilt once. The performance of Maher however was truly magnetising to watch, across all ages, states of humanity and topics. Their performance was outstanding and I find myself draining thesaurus.com for synonyms to excellent. They seem like a real human being on stage, not a character. This performance lets Maher hold a mirror to each audience member individually when it comes to the story.
I wonder if the message I took away will be different to some other audience members. This story follows Maher as she grows up a Catholic alongside her best friend and altar boy Rory (played by Bennett). It is heavily suggested that Rory was a victim to those in power within the church. This reveal was not a surprise but it did still have a significant impact after watching the two young children grow up. In their play they show clear and blind love to the church, unknowing of the harm that was befalling Rory. The rest of the parish however seemed to know and turned a blind eye.
“Why do we choose to be silent when we see injustice?” That is my takeaway from The Cardinal Rules. Maher was told to stop asking questions about Rory and to avoid him when they grew up. Maher felt it was wrong and yet, because everyone else did it, she did too. There is a section in the show where Maher gives up confessing her sins and claims to be a good person. Each claim, “I smile at people in the street and judge them when they don't smile back” or “I put up with my husband's music to keep the peace” had me giggling because they’re such relatable things to do. In relating to her I realised that even though I believe I am a good person, how often do I stay quiet about injustice in order to “keep the peace”?
This piece was first developed in 2020 and yet today I found myself drawing a lot of parallels to current events. There are those in the media that choose to stay silent and avoid tricky questions. I’m sure it’s because some don’t care but there are certainly some who do care and don’t speak anyway. Unfortunately I fear this will always be the case with the next "political event” and the next and the next. The Cardinal Rules already feels timeless in that it can comment on these events as if it was created the day before. That takes some dextrous writing, Maher and Bennett should be proud.
Some may have left the Hannah empowered “to choose for oneself” (a theme I didn’t cover in the review) and some just glad to have watched a great performance. I left knowing I’ll think twice about biting my tongue on a topic I believe in. Whoever you are, I am confident that if you think this show isn’t for you, you’re wrong.
The Cardinal Rules is on at The Hannah for one more night this Sunday 1st March. For more information and tickets click here.
The audience settles in front of white sheets and cloth dangling over furniture and drooping from the ceiling ringed by a semicircle of cloth to create the stage (Andrea Espinoza). In the center lies a mound of cloth which I think to be covering a dead body. The entire set echoes an abandoned house, covered in sheets waiting to be sold. Alison Bennett has their back half turned to us and is comfortably bopping along to the Imagine Dragons pre show music. An odd choice yes, but one that feels like a knowing wink before the punchline. Throughout the show, Chloe Weeks’ lights bounce through the folds of the fabric and giggle under sheets. This is one of the shows where I believe the designers must share the same mind, everything worked immaculately together. The cohesion of all the design elements elevates this show to a higher standard before taking into account the story and performance.
For the rest of the review I shall be referring to the performers by name as they are only referred to in the program as “Performer”. I don’t mean to suggest that the performers are necessarily these characters and vice versa.
Now, the opening of this show is the only thing that did not “click” for me. The mound in the middle is not a dead body but instead Rose Maher crawling out in an interesting piece of physical theatre like an animal slowly morphing to a human. Martelle Hammer pops out from behind a table and both she and Bennett begin to watch Maher move. The two bicker at each other, discussing Maher and what she is doing, that she “looked at me” and what it means. Right now writing this review, I don’t know what it means and who Hammer and Bennett are to each other, to Maher and to the world of the play. This is not to suggest that the performances aren’t great, just that this particular audience member felt like he was left with questions that he shouldn’t have.
That aside, Bennett and Hammer are an excellent duo, supporting Maher as she begins to recollect herself and remember why she is at this funeral. They play the various characters in Maher’s upbringing. Hammer brushing off tough questions as suitably stoic parents and Bennett as an incredibly believable young boy. They allow this story to be played light despite its darker topics. They are deft in their timing and play. The Director (Ali Gordon with additional direction from Jo Turner) was on the ball through the entire show, the space never felt empty and the performers moved with each other in such a way I swear I felt the stage tilt once. The performance of Maher however was truly magnetising to watch, across all ages, states of humanity and topics. Their performance was outstanding and I find myself draining thesaurus.com for synonyms to excellent. They seem like a real human being on stage, not a character. This performance lets Maher hold a mirror to each audience member individually when it comes to the story.
I wonder if the message I took away will be different to some other audience members. This story follows Maher as she grows up a Catholic alongside her best friend and altar boy Rory (played by Bennett). It is heavily suggested that Rory was a victim to those in power within the church. This reveal was not a surprise but it did still have a significant impact after watching the two young children grow up. In their play they show clear and blind love to the church, unknowing of the harm that was befalling Rory. The rest of the parish however seemed to know and turned a blind eye.
“Why do we choose to be silent when we see injustice?” That is my takeaway from The Cardinal Rules. Maher was told to stop asking questions about Rory and to avoid him when they grew up. Maher felt it was wrong and yet, because everyone else did it, she did too. There is a section in the show where Maher gives up confessing her sins and claims to be a good person. Each claim, “I smile at people in the street and judge them when they don't smile back” or “I put up with my husband's music to keep the peace” had me giggling because they’re such relatable things to do. In relating to her I realised that even though I believe I am a good person, how often do I stay quiet about injustice in order to “keep the peace”?
This piece was first developed in 2020 and yet today I found myself drawing a lot of parallels to current events. There are those in the media that choose to stay silent and avoid tricky questions. I’m sure it’s because some don’t care but there are certainly some who do care and don’t speak anyway. Unfortunately I fear this will always be the case with the next "political event” and the next and the next. The Cardinal Rules already feels timeless in that it can comment on these events as if it was created the day before. That takes some dextrous writing, Maher and Bennett should be proud.
Some may have left the Hannah empowered “to choose for oneself” (a theme I didn’t cover in the review) and some just glad to have watched a great performance. I left knowing I’ll think twice about biting my tongue on a topic I believe in. Whoever you are, I am confident that if you think this show isn’t for you, you’re wrong.
The Cardinal Rules is on at The Hannah for one more night this Sunday 1st March. For more information and tickets click here.