It’s not easy but it’s amazing. Nina’s mother tells us this as Nina (Clementine Anderson) is struggling with being very young and pregnant, and being in hospital in premature labour. Child rearing is the amazing but difficult matter that Nina’s mother is referring to but first Nina has to decide if she wants the child. Is a termination or adoption a better path rather than struggling as her mother struggled?
Nina is getting advice from a quartet of characters. Her roommate in the hospital, Ainsley (Zoe Jensen), has previously had an abortion and is about to give birth. To complicate matters the father is denying paternity. Ainsley’s advice is candid and forthright and delivered with liberal doses of humour.
Nina’s best friend Bee (Stella Ye) breaks into the hospital at night to entertain Nina and to give her perspective on life, friendship, motherhood and the type of world a new child will enter.
A nurse (Rachael Chisolm) is trying to help Nina with the immediate medical situation but also with making a decision about a termination, adoption or Nina’s keeping the child herself. The nurse tries to behave professionally but she has her own agenda and Nina is a difficult patient.
Nina’s mother (Sasha Dyer) appears on stage as the voice in Nina’s head. It is a clever device and it works well. That particular voice is always there and Nina can even predict what the voice will say next. There is some clever humour amongst the intense themes played out on stage. Nina and her mother’s relationship explore a lot of matters ubiquitous in the mother and daughter dynamic. This is where some of the deeper dives that playwright Ciella Williams and director Lucy Clements take come into play. Childbirth is a momentous event but a mother and daughter relationship is the more substantial matter. They are pervasive, ongoing and small actions can have large and lasting ramifications.
The cast of Clementine Anderson, Rachael Chisholm, Sasha Dyer, Zoe Jensen and Stella Ye are all to be commended.
The highly competent crew includes production designers: CJ Fraser-Bell & Ruru Zhu, sound designer: Clare Hennessy, lighting designer: Sophie Pekbilimli, production manager: Lillian Lee and stage manager: Milly Grindrod.
HUSH is a thoughtful and entertaining production playing The Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Road Marrickville. The show runs until 6th March and is recommended.
All production photos by Clare Hawley