May 26th- July 10th 2004
Melbourne
Theatre Company presents
"THE MEMORY OF WATER"
By Shelagh Stephenson
Directed by Julian Meyrick
SEASON EXTENDED TO 10th JULY!!!!
Featuring:
Louise Siversen
Nicki Wendt
Sibylla Budd
Debra Lawrance
Nicholas Bell
Paul English
Design: Dale Ferguson
Lighting Design: Efterpi Soropos
Composer: Darrin Verhagen
Previews from 21st May 2004
Opens 26th May 2004
At Space 28, VCA School of Drama Theatre, until 10th July 2004
Performance Schedule:
Mon - Fri 8pm (28 & 29 Jun 6.30pm, 30 Jun also 1pm),
Sat 4pm & 8.30pm (22 May 2pm & 8pm)
Bookings: Subscription inquiries (03) 9684 4500; Single tickets 1300
136 166 from 9th December 2003
-Click
here to read a review from May 31st 2004
-Click
here to read a review from June 6th 2004
-Click
here to read a review from June 2004
-Click
here to read Louise's resume in the programme
-Click
here to see the Memory of Water Gallery
-Click
here to read an interview with the writer
The three sisters who gather at the family house in the North of England would have had enough niggling resentments and rivalries between them to make for a tense reunion without having to deal with their mother's funeral as well. Back in the childhood home, memories are evoked, but whose memories are accurate? None of the accounts tally. Perhaps a memory isn't a recording of the past, but a wish sent back from the future.
The outstanding cast of THE MEMORY OF WATER will feature Logie nominee Louise Siversen and Green Room Award nominee Nicki Wendt, both making welcome returns to the MTC stage.
Warning: Contains medium coarse language and smoking.
Winner: 2000 Olivier Award for Best Comedy
"Both gloriously funny and
deeply felt...Indeed, THE MEMORY OF WATER is so funny that it appears at first
to be pure black comedy, with the newly bereaved sisters indulging wildly in
witty bickering and dope-induced dress-ups...Their quarrels over the funeral
arrangements, their well-worn family roles, their unsatisfactory men and their
mixed memories of a highly feminine working-class mother are hilarious...In
THE MEMORY OF WATER, [Shelagh Stephenson] skilfully charts the joyous and painful
territory of family relationships with insight and compassion."
- The Globe and Mail
"This touching and hugely entertaining comedy provides an insight into the lives of three sisters who are reunited for their mother’s funeral. A neurotic maternal type, a paranoid doctor and a brattish youngest sibling recall their childhood, but find that personal grievances have coloured their memories, which differ greatly and cause immense friction" - The Independent
"This is a lovely piece, full of humour and heart...Where the play works best is...in its satisfying mixture of sardonic humour and deep emotion. Excellent jokes give way to festering resentments, booze and dope-fuelled hilarity to sudden glimpses of buried secrets and aching pain." - The Telegraph
"THE MEMORY OF WATER really lives up to the poetry reflected in its title. It also keeps us highly entertained for two hours and leaves us deeply touched in the end." - New York Daily News
In Shelagh Stephenson’s Olivier Award-winning West End hit THE MEMORY OF WATER, three sisters meet on the eve of their mother's funeral.
As the conflicts of the past converge, everyday lies and tensions reveal the particular patterns and strains of family relationships.
MTC Associate Director Julian Meyrick, whose acclaimed productions of the contemporary British plays Frozen and Blue/Orange have been sell-out hits for the Company, will direct this production.
Production Sponsor: P&O
Many thanks to the MTC for this information