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Moose of Fire Productions presents Stitched, by Ellie Swann
New Athenaeum Theatre — Thursday, September 17
Review by Brenda Harwood
A new local play cleverly takes viewers “between the scenes” of one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies to shine a light on the experiences of women.
Written by Ōtepoti theatre all-rounder Ellie Swann, and performed by Swann herself with daughter Laniet Swann, Stitched combines wit, chaos and comedy with a looming sense of doom.
The show is presented by Moose of Fire Productions, with direction managed jointly between Ellie Swann and Kelly Hocking.
Presented in a series of sitting rooms, Stitched follows the wives of “the general” and his seemingly loyal right-hand man, as their safe and comfortable lives begin to unravel.
We first meet Desdemona and Emilia (Desi and Emi) when the pair are weighing up the suitability of various suitors, in a funny sequence filled with acerbic wit.
We come to realise the closeness of the two women, through the highs and lows of married life, as Desi’s choices and the actions of Emi’s husband begin to threaten their peaceful existence and ultimately their very lives.
Ellie and Laniet Swann work beautifully together to depict the close, familial relationship between the two women, managing quickfire dialogue exchanges with aplomb and keeping things relaxed and conversational.
As the stakes grow higher and tension grows in their lives, the obvious affection between the pair continues to ring true.
Using minimal staging — a sitting room with tea and drinks table, a sewing basket and some books, the play references the larger action happening off stage, while remaining firmly anchored within the domestic lives of women.
Stage and production manager Sahara Pohatu-Trow, lighting designer/operator Milla Swanson-Dobbs, and sound designer “Ellie’s husband” [Martin Swann], keep the play’s many scene changes moving along.
All in all, Stitched is an intriguing, amusing, and moving exploration of women’s lives behind the screens and in the sitting rooms, where mutual support helps to mask their essential powerlessness — at least for a while.
Performances continue at the NAT from Thursday to Saturday, September 24-26, at 7.30pm.