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More than two decades after it premiered, Louis Nowra’s classic, Radiance returns home to Belvoir in a modern day version directed by Leah Purcell.
Radiance tells the story of three Indigenous women who are reunited in Queensland for their mother’s funeral. At first we meet Mae and Nona, the middle and youngest sisters respectively. The two are polar opposites. Nona skips around the house, dressed in a skimpy black dress for the funeral and reflecting on their late mother’s happiness when one of her men would call. Meanwhile, Mae tidies up after Nona, all the while chiding her for her promiscuous behaviours and threatening to burn the chair their mother died in. Despite the obviously rocky nature of their relationship, Mae had spent several years looking after her mother as she became increasingly more demented. When their older sister Cressy, a renowned opera singer, makes an unexpected appearance for the funeral, the rift between the three becomes more apparent. Forced to make decisions on the fate of their mother’s remains and the house, while confronting their family’s past and present, the sisters drink, chat, bicker and laugh. As they reflect on the matriarch and her role in their lives, secrets are unveiled and it becomes clear that Nona’s fond memories of her mother will be shattered.
Radiance is a brilliantly designed production. A highlight is Dale Ferguson’s set, in which mudflats fill most of the stage, providing a fitting accompaniment to the imagery evoked by the sisters’ dialogue. Shari Sebbens (Mae) and Miranda Tapsell (Nona) are excellent and fully believable as sisters. The same cannot be said for Purcell, whose decision to step into the role of Cressy as well as directing hasn’t paid off. While she does find her feet somewhat later in the play, she is initially flat and lacking connection with her fellow cast members. In an otherwise excellent play, this is disappointing.
It’s a universal truth that in any family, there are always varied memories and interpretations of events and Radiance reflects these ambiguities. Funny, heart- wrenching and poignant, Nowra’s script is as relevant today as it was in 1993.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Radiance
Belvoir Theatre
3 January – 8 February 2015
By Louis Nowra
Starring: Leah Purcell, Shari Sebbens, Miranda Tapsell
Director: Leah Purcell
Set & Costume Designer: Dale Ferguson
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper
Composer & Sound Designer: Brendan O’Brien
Associate Sound Designer: Steve Toulmin
Fight Director: Scott Witt
Cressy Stand-in: Sharni McDermott
Lighting Design Secondment: Kelsey Lee
Stage Manager: Luke McGettigan
Assistant Stage Manager: Keiren Smith
