This was very touching theatre, written by Alison Bennett who also played the central character.
Alison plays an unkempt, overweight, unnamed young woman, (all three characters are unnamed), who lives by herself in a suburban flat. She can barely move as her unit is overflowing with stuff, hence the title. It very soon becomes apparent that she is grossly dysfunctional, and never leaves her unit. When she hears other people around, her habit is to hide behind furniture, she has so much trepidation.
Alison gives a really fine performance, full of pathos. It is heartbreaking to see a young woman with such a beautiful, cherub like face, being so distressed and rattled by life that they are unable to function. The very sad thing is that I know young women like her.
Her only contact with the outside world is a eccentric, more and more out of touch delivery guy who constantly delivers bulky packages to her which she brings inside. She doesn’t open them and they just add to her clutter. Lap Nguyen gives a fine performance in the role.
Rose Maher gives a touching performance as ‘Alison’s’ good natured but noisy and scatterbrained next door neighbour who regularly vacuums the foyer area, and tries to connect with Alison with precious little reciprocity.
There was very little text used in the performance, directed by Fernando de Miguel Fuertes, in this show don’t tell kind of theatre, with some good comic touches (Andy McDonell).
A fringe play with much merit, it would work even better with some judicious editing and dramaturgical work.
A Hurrah Hurrah production, DOLLY’S MIRACLE HOARD played the theatre within the East Sydney Community Arts Centre Theatre, a theatre which is managed by the Brand X Theatre Company, for only two nights on Friday 21 February at 7pm and Saturday 22 February 2025/
