Drawing heavily from classic Hollywood, especially “It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946) and “Ghost” (1990) Olson’s play sits close to screwball-comedy demanding a sassy, rapid-fire delivery and strongly defined characters. Shifting things to Melbourne hits the funny bone a couple of times, but too much grounded Aussie stoicism dissipates the laughs.
The play’s strong female lead, Kat, has the character stylings of a Kate Hepburn, but with an Australian accent her flighty Yankee eccentricities are diluted by Aussie credibility. In this mood-setting role, Drama Centre Graduate Jess Corrie’s comedy chops get a workout yielding to the absurd spirit of the play.
All of Olson’s characters are repurposed from Hollywood farce, the engagingly polite nurse Trish (Jenny Allard), the widowed husband and Doctor (Rodney Hrvatin) both suffer from a casually grounded Australian-ness. Kat’s wily sister, not half as dim as she appears, Brittney, played by Zoe Battersby, steals the show. Lighting, set and sound all excel, but the costume style seems a tad lacking for affluent Melbournians. It’s a good entertaining night out that will likely build more momentum as the season rolls along.
This production is entertaining, and has the audience laughing at very absurd situations with increasingly ludicrous plot twists. Some pitch and pacing problems (likely due to a new production finding it’s comedy sea-legs on opening night) arise now and then. Novice Director Lucy Johnson could encourage her obviously talented cast to keep the pace up.
Ultimately the wholesome nature of “Mum’s Gift” is totally enjoyable.
Mum’s Gift is at Therry at The Arts Theatre, Adelaide on Friday, 11 April at 7.30 pm and
Saturday, 12 April at 2 pm and 7.30 pm. Buy tickets here.
