You have to spend an hour with Maureen
Presented by Adelaide Festival, A Soft Tread production in association with Sign of the Acorn.
Reviewed: 14 March, 2023
Jonny Hawkins and Nell Ranney have conspired, just like Maureen, to create a world that we are allowed to live in for just under an hour and a half. Hawkins is a gifted and versatile story teller who, from the moment he steps on stage, has the audience in the palm of his hand. He carefully and seamlessly prepares and guides us into the world of Maureen.
Jonny has a deep affection for the women that have influenced his growth and Maureen is top of his list. We are invited to pay her a visit. For anyone who knows “The Cross” Maureen lives in the apartment block opposite Buckingham Palace – a gift of a name that tickles the imagination and jogs the memory of those of us who had friends who lived there. Jonny takes us into a fading Art Deco building on Macleay Street with no lift, broken light switches and patches of damp. We climb with Jonny up the four flights of stairs and let ourselves in to Maureen’s apartment and, in the blink of an eye, with a twist of fabric, Jonny becomes Maureen and takes us on an unforgettable journey through her colourful and heart-warming story.
This work is a collaboration of inquisitive brave minds who have brought to life with care and detail the heart and soul of Kings Cross and its long term residents. I could tell you the stories, repeat the exquisitely, and archly, delivered one-liners, share the loving recollection of special relationships. I could try to give you a clear idea of what it is like to have your imagination so enlivened that when the show finishes you don’t realise you’ve been enraptured by Maureen’s story for a little over an hour. But that would be to deny you the pleasure of the time you will spend with Maureen when you go to see this masterpiece of contemporary theatre told by master craftsman Jonny Hawkins.
Just go and see it!
Isabel Hudson’s design, Nick Schlieper’s lighting and Steve Toumlin’s subtle but never intrusive sound design are the icing on this very well mixed and exquisitely baked piece of contemporary Australian theatre. Thank you Jonny Hawkins and Nell Ranney for your vision and collaboration to bring Maureen back into the world to share her story with us. Now we have to figure out how much was fact and how much was fiction – clever. And I really want to ask Maureen over for tea – or something a bit stronger. I’d just have to make sure my name’s not in her book, if you want to know why you’ll have to go and see it.
Reviewed by Adrian Barnes
Photo credit: Clare Hawley
Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: Until March 18
Duration: 1 Hour 20 minutes (no Interval)
Tickets: From $47
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/maureen-harbinger-of-death/
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