Before the promise welcome to theater first with Alex First. Their father was big and strong. It could be fun, but more often than not he was scary, angry, brutal and dogmatty. He couldn't land a job and so money was always tight. He drank. After surviving World War Two, which included being shipwreck and a prisoner of war on the Thai Burma railway, he had ptsd His wife, their mother stood by him constantly pointing to what he'd been through, even though she too was treated badly. This is the story of jack Ian Bliss, Martha maud Davy, and their five children. Jill Lucy Golloby was the oldest, while Johnny James O'Connell was the senior of the three boys. Twins Mouse Zachary Pid and Doaw Benjamin Nichol were the other two lads. And then there was the youngest member of the family, Christine Angory. Rice Academically gifted and said confident. Jill always knew her father for what he was. She even tried to convince her mother to leave him. Johnny quickly became Dad's whipping boy. He was always looking to catch out Johnny and belittle him. He couldn't tell the twins who were inseparable, much to his chagrin. Apart, youngster Christine often leaped to his defense, even though his behavior was frequently volatile and deplorable. She liked hearing his evocative war stories. My Sister Jill, written by Patricia Cornelius and directed by Susie d is a family saga examining the unrelenting legacy of war. The pair has worked together a lot. They constantly challenge one another as they explore class and gender, shedding light on ordinary people facing life's hardships. They're fearless and pose questions many have been too uncomfortable to tackle. My Sister Jill, which has been adapted from Cornelius's own novel, fits the mold. It's part autobiographical, although the acclaimed playwright and novelist has taken significant creative liberties with the story. It captures the spirit and struggle of a generation of Australian's post Second World War. Although compelling, it's not an easy watch, nor should it be. The subject matter and its treatments see to that pain and fear a constance. The play has been superbly written, directed and performed Cornelius's gritty workers really graced the stages of major theater companies. More's the pity in this case, though, credit goes to MTC, which supported and championed the creation of My Sister Jill through its Next Stage Writers program. The piece is peppered with explosions and meltdowns, with us the audience, waiting for the inevitable next eruption. This is theater on a knife's edge. Ian Bliss ensures that Jack is realized as a ticking time bomb. He's ferocious and frightening and on occasion's vulnerable and sinking. As Jill, Lucy Golloby knows only one way, fighting fire with fire, she doesn't back away, and the consequences are dramatic. Angory Rice is equally mighty as the young family enthusiast cum narrator Christine, who prefers the glossy picture. Benjamin Nichol excels as the deeply needy Door, while Zachary Pid's metamorphosis as Mouse is impressive. James O'Connell grows in stature from the disparaged and downtrodden Johnny as the plot unfolds. More Davy portrays the stoic wife Martha who's put up with so much and is forever tested with conviction. Mark Howe's set consists of the outline of Rundown Home along with an authentic nineteen fifty three fex Holden. The latter had seen better days when purchased by MTC, but was fixed up and sprayed light green by the talented production team. Powell is also responsible for the costuming, with much fun to be had Dressing adults as children of the nineteen fifties with lighting by Rachel Burke and composition and sound from Kelly Ryle. My sister Jill leaves an indelible footprint. Its emotional resonance is striking. It's playing at Southbank Theater the Sumner in Melbourne until the twenty eighth of October twenty twenty three. You've been listening to Theater First with Alex First available at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or your favorite podcast player. You can also stream on demand at bytes dot com. This has been another quality podcast production from sites dot com.
