The Australian premiere of Polish born American playwright Martnyna Majok’s play COST OF LIVING (2016), co-directed by Priscilla Jackman and Dan Daw, is the current production playing at Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 1 Theatre.
The scenario follows two pairs of relationships between disabled and able bodied persons : one between John (Dan Daw), a graduate student from Princeton University who has cerebral palsy and his female caregiver Jess (Zoe de Plevitz) and the other relationship between Ani (Kate Hood), who became a quadriplegic following a tragic accident and her ex husband Eddie (Philip Quast), an unemployed truck driver.
In April of 2016 the play earned Majok the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her work that explores ‘diverse perceptions of privilege and human connection through two pairs of mismatched individuals’.
This is the first professional production in Australia where the stage was equally shared between able bodied and disabled actors. On just a technical level this made the play very challenging. It was amazing to see Kate Hood as Ani, who was severely disabled and in a wheelchair,in one of the scenes in a bath. How this was practically managed was hard to work out.
Hood’s performance was excellent. A very expressive performer of more than twenty years experience, she led a ‘normal’ life until she was diagnosed in her early forties with a degenerative neurological condition.
Philip Quast was great as trucker Eddie who has a big heart and who feels regretful for leaving his wife after the accident for another woman. Quast revealed that after 45 years of performing he is retiring after this show which will be a big loss to Australian theatre.
Dan Daw gave a moving performance as Princeton grad John who finds it so hard to make himself understood by Jess who is beautifully played by Zoe de Plevitz. De Plevitz charts well the transformation in her character from being very cold and businesslike in her interactions with John to being very empathatic.
Priscilla Jackman and Dan Daw’s direction was assured as was the accomplished work of the design team; set designer Michael Scott-Mitchell, lighting designer John Rayment, composer and sound designer Guy Webster, intimacy and fight director N.J.Price and dialect coach Gabrielle Rogers.
To close on, this production took over five years to make it to the mainstage. It has been worth the wait. Most of all I enjoyed the realness of this play. There was no romanticising of disability. And there was no big separation between able bodied people and disabled people. It was about people being people, wanting to share their world and their hopes and dreams, and the ups and downs of life. The play says we able bodied people need to work more on putting our guard down!
Sydney Theatre Company’s production of COST OF LIVING is playing its Wharf 1 Theatre until 18th August 2024.
http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au
