Thursday 24 June 2021

The 7 Stages of Grieving, Sydney Theatre Company, Playhouse, Canberra Theatre

 

Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman's one woman show, "Seven Stages of Grieving", has outlived both of them, getting several productions with new actresses and directors discovering new elements of their original series of scenes looking at the topic of Indigenous grief - of the losses the last 225 years have inflicted on the traditional owners of this country, and of the scars that still remain. Elaine Crombie as actress and Shari Sebbens as director give this a new interpretation, played on a stage covered in mounds of dirt covered in shells, with Crombie providing the heart and soul behind the original words, providing humour, tears, rage and determination in her exploration of the text. There's also an added coda looking at the possible paths ahead, with 7 actions that can be taken to help heal, and like the best additions it feels like it should have been there all along. It's a powerful evening, both as storytelling and as a demonstration of Crombie's considerable skills as she engages and draws her audience in, making the show completely her own. 

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