The Dictionary of Lost words, Sydney Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia, Drama Theatre, Opera House, 26 Oct-16 Dec (and subsequent season in Melbourne 17 Feb-10 March 2024)

 

Pip Williams' novel is not one I'd heard of before this was announced as part of the Sydney Theatre Company's 2023 season, but a new Australian novel getting a theatre adaptation so quickly meant it was something to keep an eye out - and what's arrived is a richly theatrical presentation of a dense story covering the process of putting the Oxford English Dictionary together, from the point of view of a young woman who discovers the words that are being left out - mostly the words of the lower classes and women due to the embedded prejudices of the men creating the dictionary. It's an essentially literary conceit, to tell a tale that relies so much on words and their definition, and Verity Laughton's adaptation doesn't entirely succeed in making the central character, Esme, into an active protagonist - she remains someone to whom things happen rather than someone who makes  things happen - but it's a story that moves along nicely enough through several decades as a young woman broadens her horizons on a journey that will reverberate beyond her lifetime.

Jessica Arthur's staging uses a simple two-levelled set (the floor largely playing the "scrippy" where the dictionary is being put together, the gallery above for additional scenes and for a projection screen for locations, dates and a few other surprising elements, in a production that flows smoothly across three hours of fairly dense plot. The cast of 8 slip across multiple roles smoothly creating a rich array of individuals, friends, colleagues, lovers and servants. Tilda Cobham-Hervey is a solid centre as Esme, aging from an inquisitive 2 year old to an experienced woman feeling the weight of her experiences. 

If in the end, this feels somewhat familiar (there's a fair few familiar stops off in the years from the late 19th century to the early 1920s) it's almost the definition of comfort viewing, wrapping the audience up in a big hug of a story. It's not a perfect show but it's an engrossing one that works with an audience, providing some laughs, heartbreak, and a few thoughts for the drive home.