By Elizabeth Coleman. Directed by Denis Moore. The Q Theatre. 19 Mar 2013
Most people are familiar with the three big dinner party conversation taboos of polite society: sex, politics and religion. However, it would be safe to say that death would be fairly high on the list of things to avoid talking about at a social gathering.
The Patterson’s however, are forced to throw caution to the wind on all four topics when their husband and father gathers the family around for a meal to tell them that he has only 111 minutes to live.
Diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three months to live, three months ago to the day, Ron Patterson (Henri Szeps) is not one to be tardy – except for when it comes to informing his family of his tragic news.
So, over a pavlova, some cheezels and some party pies, Ron breaks the news to his loved ones and promptly informs them he’s prepared a schedule of events in an effort to bid them a meaningful goodbye.
However, things haven’t always been rosy in the Patterson home over the years, and after the initial shock of the news wears off, the family skeletons come out of the closet for one last hurrah.
With the constant revisiting of a ticking retro clock, the race is on for Ron’s wife Dawn (Robyn Arthur), his eldest Michael (Trent Baker), middle child Debbie (Sharon Davis) and baby of the family Karen (Freya Pragt) to make peace with him, despite their grievances.
The stereotypical characterisations in this production come off as quite laboured in the first act, with the dialogue bland and predictable. With a scenario this outrageous one would expect the script to be a little more daring and outside the box, however the writing remained within a conventional safety zone.
In saying this, the play seemed to resonate with the largely senior audience, who seemed to be entirely titillated by the content, and so this perception of what is and isn’t outrageous obviously differs greatly between generations. But overall, it just seemed that the big issues being dealt with by the family were entirely passé for a modern theatre piece.
Veteran actor Henri Szeps as the belligerent Ron, while convincing, seemed to take a back seat to his younger co-stars who came into their own in the second act; his final scene, however, was touching. Davis as the neglected middle child was a standout, bringing enormous presence and charisma to the stage with the least superficial character of the evening.
Pragt as Karen, the insufferable daddy’s girl, was a little overdone, however, she did provide some terrific moments of comic relief throughout. Baker as Michael, the eldest son putting up a front for the sake of his parents was heartfelt given the confines of a role that was lacking in some imagination.
Arthur as Ron’s long-suffering but devoted wife Dawn was a talent wasted until the second act, when the script allowed her to break free from being agonisingly one-dimensional to a woman with some real gumption. Matt Furlani as Ted, the goofy undertaker, offered some relatively cheap laughs, but contributed some well-received wackiness into the mix, especially when the family arguments become tedious and the physical comedy contrived.
How much you enjoy this production will likely depend on how you relate to the content. A younger person may find it a little past its use by date, while an older person may completely get it and find it a hysterically outlandish, but at its core accurate, representation of family life and its foibles. It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To did get its share of laughter, and that counts for a lot.
Deborah Hawke
When: 19 to 27 Mar
Where: The Q Theatre
Bookings: theq.net.au
