• theatre
  • features
  • glimpses
  • faqs
  • contact
  • theatre
  • features
  • glimpses
  • faqs
  • contact
  Art Murmurs - Wellington Reviews

Reviews

The Quiet Room

25/9/2015

Comments

 

Rosie Cann

The Quiet Room is a gentle, human story of a sixteen year old girl suffering from Leukaemia and trying to figure out how she wishes to pursue her treatment.
The language of the play is beautiful, and Renee Liang (writer/produced/publicist) has artfully explored the way that medical jargon can be translated into understandable and poignantly simple metaphors and similes, spoken by protagonist Marianne South, portrayed by Stevie Hancox-Monk. This speaks to the incredible coping mechanisms and intellect of young people in finding strength and humour in difficult times. Actors Stevie Hancox-Monk and Michael Hebenton both embodied their characters teen energy very effectively. Both were consistent and joyful in their characterisation, and brought the story to life through their sweetness and challenge. The script, and actors, embodied a lot of the whimsy and cat jokes and musical passion and awkward romance that are present in the lives of young people, while maintaining the respectful tint that acknowledges the seriousness of each situation.

Isobel Mebus as Rachel South, and Vanessa Rhodes as Elaine Lee, both embodied well-developed over-thirty female characters, a gift of the script that we see rarely on Wellington stages. A commendable Directorial choice, by Director Jane Yonge, was having South and Lee sit each side of the stage, embodying the worry of caring so deeply for your patient or child. Both actresses did a wonderful job of maintaining this tension and concern throughout the show. Particularly beautiful was a scene between the two when Isobel Mebus wonderfully channelled the utter hurt of your child sharing via a public platform things that they would never say to you. This moment was my favourite of the play, embodying powerfully how much an illness affects those around it as well as those trying to beat it within their own bodies.

The set, designed by Nick Zwart, was beautifully constructed, versatile and austere, capturing very viscerally the feel of a hospital. The theatre even smelt like a hospital as we entered, which is a specific smell that triggers very specific memories in each of us. The lighting design, by Jeremy Larkin, also helped us to buy into the world of clinical hospital lighting, the sweetness of hospitals at sunset, and differentiate the spaces practically.
The script itself is well woven and beautiful, painting a very personal and non-judgmental view of how cancer patients and their support people are affected by illness and relate to each other. I felt emotionally invested in the characters and they read as very real and developed. The escalation of the story was effective and involving as well, although the climax of the plot didn’t quite reach the height by way of stakes that it could of, given how much we care about the characters. We could have used more of a moment to really be hit by the stakes of Marianne’s final decision, so that our wonderment at what really happens after the ellipsis is that much more invested.

Thematically, the script centres around discussion of whether it is important to prioritise quality of life or length of life, a theme that effects people across all illnesses, but is poignant in the realm of cancer treatment. The Q & A held after the opening night performance was informative and warm, with people offering their own recovery stories and respectfully questioning representatives of CanTeen who were present. What I drew from this discussion was the incredible amount of research and time and empathy that went into creating this work. This piece comes from a community and speaks back to a community, inviting us in and exploring the ethics of how we relate to cancer patients and how we think of cancer patients and survivors, especially young ones.
​

There was a lightness in the room, discussing alternate endings where Marianne buys an iPhone or is eaten by a shark, and we all chuckle along - as one audience member says, ‘Everyone has a story’ and there is a connectedness in the room in us all acknowledging this fact. This show takes some of those stories, and paints them in warm colours, inviting us to explore the canvas along side those who painted it themselves, and as such is an utter gift of empathy, as great theatre should be.
_____________________________________________________
There is a special Gala night Wednesday 30th, of which all the proceeds will go to Canteen. On all other night $2 from each ticket also goes to Canteen.
Comments

    Local Honest Reviews

    At Art Murmurs, our aim is to provide honest and constructive art reviews to the Wellington community.

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    All Age Appropriate
    Art
    BATS
    Beauty Standards
    Black Comedy
    Body Positive
    Circa
    Circus
    Comedy
    Comedy Festival 2018
    Comedy Festival 2019
    Community Theatre
    Dance
    Devised
    Documentary
    Drag
    Drama
    Emerging Artist
    Exhibition
    Experimental
    Female Artists
    Feminism
    Festival
    For Kids
    Fringe
    Fun
    Gallery
    Gryphon Theatre
    Heart + Music
    History
    Improv
    International
    Interview
    Ivy
    Lighting
    Local
    Mental Health
    Music
    Musical
    New Writing
    New Zealand
    NZ Comedy
    NZ Fringe
    NZIF
    On Tour
    Photography
    Photospace Gallery
    Physical Theatre
    Political
    Politics
    Premiere
    Pyramid Club
    Queer
    Race
    Roxy LIVE
    Science
    Scruffy Bunny Improv Theatre
    Sexual Violence
    Shakespeare
    Site Specific
    Site-specific
    Sketch
    Solo Show
    Song
    Spoken Word
    Storytelling
    Te Auaha
    Theatre
    Thought Provoking
    Thought-provoking
    Toi Poneke Gallery
    Verbatim
    Victoria University
    Virtual Theatre
    Weekly
    Wellington
    Wellington Footlights
    Wellington Repertory