As I sit in my seat, a wave of tranquility fills my soul. I am transported to a place that feels rustic, with dry leaves scattered across the ground, basked in dreamy orange and blue light. Two walls on either side of the stage are layered in natural calico material and sage detailing, setting a countrified scene, with a gorgeous outline of trees peaking through. Teamed with light country music playing in the background, I immerse myself in nature’s sounds, save for a blue emergency light, that flashes on and off to my right.
The location? The lush landscape of the Blue Mountains, at a Mind, Body, Spirit festival, a yearly celebration, where a close-knit mountain community gather together to celebrate their traditional merrymaking.
To start, we are introduced to Banjo, the old town larrikin, who draws us in with his humour and entertaining antics. Dressed as a town jester, he promotes the festival’s mystical magic to all and sundry, even us, the audience, are made to clap and participate to become part of the town’s supportive populace. Where we feel the love and support of an entire community.
Yet, under all the ribbing and light-hearted silliness, lies Daniel – the protagonist, a local paramedic who is at his wit’s end, living in survival mode. Years of workplace trauma have taken their toll. He has given years of support to others, but has pent up emotions, clouded judgements and personal demons sitting on his psyche from the past that even he knows he has no more control over.
By a stroke of good fortune, a pair of beloved black cockatoos perched on a branch, Huggin (meaning ‘thought’) and Muggin (meaning ‘memory’), who usually face each other, symbolising balance, are suddenly out of synch. For Muggin is seen by Daniel, to be facing the other direction, away from Huggin. To Daniel and the rest of the townsfolk, this signifies a heavy omen, a mystical plea for help that sets of a chain of events in motion. Yet, it sends Daniel on his own unexpected hero’s journey to healing his inner demons. A vault of his long-buried memories starts to crack open, revealing fragments of trauma he had experienced in the past, down to a specific memory that he sought to erase, which he had spent a lifetime avoiding, and suffering in the process.
In dedicating his life to saving others, this play poses the ultimate universal question regarding these ‘angels on earth’. Who is there to pick up the pieces when they themselves are struggling with trauma and need support?
The answer in this show, is in the healing power of the community they keep. Under the superb direction of Drew Tingwell, this production is brought to life by an extraordinary cast of Australian stage and screen actors who are simply superb.
Notably, Don Bridges as Banjo is the show’s charismatic and eccentric welcome wagon, inviting us into a warm, whimsical mountain environment of open acceptance, with his rogue-ish antics and quick-witted, hilarious timing.
Gabriel Partington, as Daniel, brims with breathtaking emotion throughout the show, perfectly exemplifying the complex roller coaster ride of how suppressed trauma can infiltrate the mind, body and soul. For every nuance, every layer, every physical choice, was flawlessly played, and no doubt, an award-worthy, challenging role to master.
But Margot Knight, simply shines as Mrs. Munro, a wife and mother who balances her life’s complexities with admiration and courage – dedicating her life to her husband and community. Only an actress of her calibre can combine underlying, unimaginable grief with a majestic presence that shines from the inside-out, that invites an audience into her soul so seamlessly and so unapologetically – to feel her character’s unspoken burdens: a journey through the darkness back into the light.
Themes of trauma and the enigma around memory are woven brilliantly throughout this tender work, with flashbacks, memory competitions, and a mythical mirror thrown in, that when looked into, a repressed memory starts to appear. Written and conceived by award-winning playwright Georgina Luck, this world premiere struck me as a beautiful piece of heart-felt theatre that caters to all age groups, and defines the full spectrum of the human experience: including humour, grief, ageing and stress, and how our bodies and minds learn to (rightly or wrongly) adapt and survive through these difficult life transitions.
This show is a must-see for those who believe in something more than what they view in front of them. It is a story of how life can indeed rebalance itself; not by virtue of struggling alone, but with the power of a village behind us. To walk us on through, and bring us back to life.
To book tickets to The Memory Mirror, please visit https://events.humanitix.com/the-memory-mirror.
