This play was written by Phil Olson and was first produced in California in 2013. Mr Olson kindly gave permission to change the location and some minor details to be relevant to Therry’s audience along with the original title which was the American spelling of Mom’s Gift.
The play is set in the living room and verandah of a typical suburban home in Melbourne Victoria with a cast of six visible characters and a disembodied off-stage Mrs Mangle wannabe who is full of questions and naughty suggestions which leave the rest of the cast running for cover. Angela Short as Mrs Norquist must be having so much fun “across the street!”
We quickly learn that this is a very unhappy family who recently lost their matriarch and not everyone has moved on. Despite Mum’s demise in a tragic car accident 11 months earlier, she has not been able to leave the house until she completes her mission to gain her wings. Unfortunately she is not told what the exact mission is, just that she will know when she completes the task and is able to ascend.
Katie Packer plays the role of Mum with wonderful comedic timing and some zinging one liners which she delivers with punch. Her interactions with eldest daughter Kat played by Jess Corrie, and the only family member who can see and speak with her, are gold. Kat has enormous self esteem issues and has never gotten over her mother’s passing blaming her father for the accident. They have not spoken since the funeral and Kat would probably not even be at the family home if she was not being forced into it.
Youngest daughter Brittney performed by Zoe Battersby is a joy to behold. She is so ditzy it is hilarious. Everyone is indulgent of Brittney and her comments, thoughts and ideas as they know she is SPECIAL. One of the secrets revolves around Brittney’s character and Zoe handles this with the panache of a seasoned performer. Dad is played by Rodney Hrvatin and the focus of Kat’s ire. She feels he was never around for her like he was for little sister Brittney and coupled with the accident there is a lot of animosity directed at him. Rodney plays the conciliatory parent well and tries everything in his power to smooth every situation until he eventually reaches his breaking point.
The two non-family members are Trish and Kevin played by Jenny Allard and Paul Pacillo respectively. Trish was the home care nurse who took care of Mum until her passing but appears to have become very friendly with Dad in the ensuing months, much to Kat’s dislike and despite Mum constantly confirming she is a good person. Jenny played the out-of-place guest caught in the middle of a family dispute well. She probably should have had running shoes on for the number of times she scampered out of the firing line back into the kitchen. Kevin plays the wannabe love interest to Kat. As children the typical hair pulling was involved showing misguided affection and now he wishes to rekindle that affection in a more adult manner. The budding entrepreneur almost looses it all when Brittney makes an announcement in an attempt to push Kevin and Kat together that nearly backfires.
This play has been likened to “It’s A Wonderful Life” and the character of Clarence. However I don’t think there are as many secrets, suggestions or plot twists as are in this production. Three times I had the scenario worked out in my head only to be proven wrong again. Kudos to Lucy Johnson in her directorial debut. She kept this play moving along and I am sure it will only get slicker as the season progresses. The set design by Don Oswald was extremely simple, functional and effective and the lighting design by Richard Parkhill was exactly as you would expect from him, alternating between light, fun and moving to dramatic as the scene demanded.
Mum’s Gift continues its run at the Arts Theatre until April 12th and is a wonderful night out of laughter and sentiment.
