By Jennifer Beasley.
An extraordinary tour-de-force weaves the metaphysical with the mundane in an aged care facility in this new work by award winning writer Irene Korsten.
Writer Irene Korsten, who won the Green Room award for Ordinary Misery, has delivered a play so layered in subtext and meaning that it has stuck inside my mind like a burr upon my clothing.
I saw Korsten pacing outside the theatre as my companion and I walked in. Read her interview while inside and the doubts that she (and all writers) express about their ability. About whether they should go on. Honey, I’m here to tell you – never give up!
Are You There? is a one-act comedy-drama set at Autumn Dale Village, an Aged Care facility where receptionist Pia, passionately acted by Melanie Madrigali, is trying to cope with the duality of her work duties, and the chaos of her own life on one meaningful and fateful Friday. The interference of odd-sock, mother obsessed and domineering 76-year-old resident Colleen, an outstanding turn by Jane Cliffton and the ethereal 90-year-old Lauren, (a stunning portrayal by Rosemary Johns), whose abilities are diminished by dementia and whose only vocal responses are confined to three words: Are You There? gives plenty of scope for dark humour and keen character observations.
In essence, this play touches on mothers and mothering, life and death. In between the amazing dialogue that overlaps and interweaves, we learn of the obsession of Colleen with her mother, who in death is still very much in control of her daughter, and her utter inability to connect or acknowledge anyone other than herself. An increasing frantic Pia, herself besets with her own domestic drama with a wayward daughter, must act like an air traffic controller to direct the fractious Colleen while trying to man the reception desk, schedule work shifts and deal with resident’s families. Thrown into this demanding scenario is the waif-like Lauren. Oh my goodness, what an amazing piece of acting, writing and directing this is. Rachel Baring’s direction presents this play as if you are an interloper, observing real life from the side-lines. You wouldn’t think that a character that is virtually mute can illicit such pathos, yet in Baring’s hands Lauren is a sweet, gentle soul, a seemingly empty vessel, yearning for her all-consuming love.
And love is what this is all about. As the play unfolds, we learn that Lauren had experienced a transverberation, or piecing of her heart by a dart of love by an angel, when she was a young girl out walking in the fields (a Divine Union with God) . We learn that event lead her on an intense journey of spiritual proportions, dedicating her life to setting up a home for ‘lost girls’. Now suffering dementia, the audience views the tonal shifts (beautifully lit by Tomas Gerasimidis), as the interior life of Lauren is exposed as the other two characters remain still. Through graceful movements Lauren connects and holds Pia, as a representation of her inner thoughts, a physical acknowledgement that she has heard her distress as Pia argues with her ex-husband on the phone, imploring him to find their daughter. Through physical action Lauren understands the pain that Pia is experiencing, and the desperate desire to reconnect with her daughter and allow them both to love and accept each other once more.
Then there is the ‘Tony-trigger’ that sets off Colleen on a mad hunt back to her room to ring this man call Tony, only to discover it is not the right man. A man from her past that allowed Colleen to feel an emotion that was’ other’ from her mother, to yearn for a love that wasn’t to be.
The audience journeys through the chaos and cutting humour as the three women, all lost girls themselves, tries to connect with a deeper meaning in their lives that as humans we can only hope to express as love for another human, yet that need is only a faint echo to a wider spiritual truth.
However, like the statue of The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa by Bernini, whose heart was also pieced with an arrow of love by an angel, Lauren remains in the liminal space between life and death, her yearning for a greater love already accomplished as her peaceful presence bridges the chaos surrounding Pia and facilitates silent waves of compassion. For Lauren has achieved all that she needs to.
This really is an incredible performance. The comedy is fast paced and delicious, yet with intelligent sub-text that drives home the themes of love, aging and acceptance with a golden arrow, deep into your heart.
Are You There? plays at The Explosives Factory, at 7:30pm until 13th September 2025.
Image:Hannah Jennings
