Moon at the Bottom of the Garden
Dunedin Public Art Gallery
Friday, October 10
What a pleasure to see a new New Zealand play in our International Festival, brought to us by a team of experienced female practitioners of all ages.
Under the compassionate direction of Julie Edwards, the actors make a tight fist of some fast-paced dialogue, just holding the reins of what could become too shouty, and managing instead to maintain tension and reaching a dramatic climax at the end of the first half - where Dawn, played by the rollicking Cheryl Amos, yells ''What is wrong with this family?!''
It's a question so many of us, from all walks of life, ask ourselves at times. Family can be so filled with pain, secrets and rivalry, as in McDougall's play, but hopefully we can reach a point, as these characters do, where there are no more secrets.
Each actor has moments of shining on this opening night. Though a little hard to hear at times, Irene Wood is a sweet and dottery Nana, Rosella Hart plays two roles adeptly (in fact my partner thought it was two separate actors), Clare Adams does a good line in holier-than-thou, softening to relaxed, caring daughter and mother as the play moves along, Amy Abott shines as the naive widgie young Rose and my favourite, the mallow-puff stuffing Dawn (Cheryl Amos), who says it all when she states ''No-one's all good and no-one's all bad''.
- Reviewed by Gemma Carroll
