GLAMM Productions present
Directed by Gary Wall
Starring
Ana Della Rocca as Hannah Mae
Christine McLachlan as Maude
30 Aug to 8 September DCF Studios – 721 High St Thornbury
www.trybooking.com/VXKE
complimentary glass of wine and finger food
“Step back in time to 1980. Westchester County’s brunette bombshell, Maude, doesn’t know what hits her when her new neighbour drops by for a visit.
Hannah-Mae, all the way from Texas is desperate for a friend.”
The kitchen set, a Gary Wall design & construction was so real I was transported back 40 years. Every prop was sourced properly, and Wardrobe for both women worked a treat.
The 80’s music was a treat. Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” played to Maude’s hilarious disco moves. Recently in New York, I had gone to see ‘Donna Summer the Musical” on Broadway; you can imagine how pumped I was before the dialogue even began. Maude, played with verisimilitude and compulsiveness by McLachlan, performed a 5 minute piece of ‘business’ folding washing, cooking biscuits, and dancing around the kitchen that established the nuance of her character to perfection.
The coffee prop throughout the play is a red herring. Biscuits were the 3rd character; a metaphor for the sweetness both women longed for but were denied in perfunctory marriages. The play’s resolution is satisfying.
Hannah Mae, a brunette Dolly Partonesque figure, was captured brilliantly by Ana Della Rocca. She is a born comedian, and, while her capacity to play feisty is well known in Melbourne theatres, her moments of vulnerability and hurt brought an unexpected tear to my eye.
There is a fight scene between the two women that is one of the best choreographed fights I have seen. Try to sit near the front – well worth the effort.
Director Gary Wall is a true auteur – not only does he act in stage, film, and TV, he also does stage lighting and designs and builds sets that are worthy of Oscar nominations. The actors moved across the stage seamlessly, and he brought out the best in them.
Is there anything that could be improved? Well, I say no because it’s a condition of the performing rights purchased and must be adhered to: The rights include the songs that must be played in entirety between each scene…while the songs are apt, the actors have built us up to such engagement with them, each song plays a tad too long. Half the playing would have maintained our connection and given the efficient stage manager adequate time to dress the next scene. No matter, as McLachlan and Della Rocca draw us right back in, but less dynamic actors would risk losing the audience for vital minutes.
The venue, DCF Studios 271 High St Thornbury, is a welcome addition to small theatres in Melbourne. Seating 50, with excellent support staff, it was ideal. Cassie on 0407070944 offers theatre, film, and photography hire services.
