I’M WITH HER, a six-part documentary theatre work, has had an extended life at Beckett’s Restaurant in Glebe. Beckett’s Club, in the lower level of the famous Darling Mills building, presents a series of one-night theatre vignettes. Vignette #4 is a perfect selection for this kind of event.
I’M WITH HER was first performed at the Darlinghurst Theatre three years ago. It is a documentary about six famous Australian women. The whole play can be taken apart and the parts presented on their own. The vignette presented two of the six, botanist Marion Blackwell, read by Lynette Curran with humour and passion, and Dr Anne Aly, read by Deborah Galanos with fire and dignity. They juxtapose the two women’s very different natures, ages, professions and backgrounds.
Marion is over 90 now and found the Bungle Bungles… not even the WA government knew they were there until she came upon them on a plant excursion!
Anne was the first Muslim woman to be elected to Parliament, survived an abusive marriage and is a counter-terrorism expert.
What a contrast!
The other women documented in the full play are Julia Gillard, anthropologist Marcia Langton, champion surfer Pam Burridge and sex-worker Julia Bates.
The playwright and Walkley Award winner Victoria Midwinter Pitt spoke first, introducing the two actors and highlighting the #MeToo stories of abuse and discrimination. Victoria spent years developing I’M WITH HER consulting with the six women, circulating the script to all and finally presenting the documentary at the Darlinghurst Theatre, receiving good reviews.
Pitt’s intent now is to give the play an extended life. This event at Beckett’s was part of that plan. The earnest Victoria spoke too long, taking the edge off the actors’ thunder. The mantra is ‘show, not tell’ and we were told too much. Let the play speak for itself!
Beckett’s Club curator and herself a playwright, Wendy Beckett is an enthusiastic supporter of I’M WITH HER and developed the idea for all the vignettes. The format of the evenings is to combine chef Jeff Shroeter’s delicate courses with the theatre vignette performed between course two and three. This gives a chance for the audience to move round the space to find a suitable vantage point.
This vignette’s selection was salmon tartare, spatchcock, coral trout and brûlée – all delicate, beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. Even the mysteriously-named jicama (turnip!) was wonderful.
I’M WITH HER has been published by Currency Press:
www.currency.com.au/books/drama/im-with-her/
The next theatre vignette is November 17:
www.beckettsbardining.com.au/whats-on/theatre-vignette-no5
Featured image : Victoria Midwinter Pitt, Lynette Curran, Wendy Beckett, Deborah Galanos
We loved this. Amazing stories, fantastic performances from the two actresses. What a great night. Have to disagree very strongly with the weirdly bitchy comments in this review about the writer’s talk before the show . It was the complete opposite! Short & sharp, fascinating insights, made the play come alive.
Having the opportunity to raise my voice as a one of the women whose life stories are chronicled in the play come book I’m With Her, I was delighted to be in the audience at Becketts for this vignette. Introduced with important background to the play/book and hopes and plans for its future by Victoria Midwinter Pitt, writer and director, it was wonderful to hear again the stories of resistance and fight back of just two of these incredible role models, Dr. Marian Blackwell and Dr. Anne Aly. Read most eloquently by acclaimed Australian actors Lynette Curran and Deborah Galanos respectively who no doubt, along with the writer, Victoria Midwinter Pitt, have their own stories of surviving and thriving in a man’s world. While these stories address some of the abuse and discrimination faced by the women in IWH, it is really a collection of stories based primarily on their/our resilience, resistance and fight back in a man’s world. To conclude, this was a very inappropriate critique on the writer director – that she spoke too long etc. from a man about a story or stories by women and how they have fought back against being told to sit down and shut up for way too long. Hope to see IWH back on a big stage in Sydney some time soon.
A quick apology on my response to the review of I’m With Her in incorrectly attributing the critique on the writer/director to a man. However, I stand by my comments that it was inappropriate given the subject matter and that women have fought back against being told to sit down and shut up for way too long.