Bells and Whistles

As part of this year’s Victorian Seniors Festival, Fiona Stewart has created Bells and Whistles, a whimsical play revolving around three sisters and their dying elderly mother. Louisa (Fiona Stewart) invites her two siblings (Annie Stanford and Felicity Sloper) to celebrate her sixtieth birthday in the old family home.

Their mother refuses to take her medication, crying out in pain and pleads to die. The three sisters party on; reflecting on their past with fanciful glee and playful energy, weaving snippets of stories of past conquests, childhood memories and sweet nowhere dreams.

The show revolves around flimsy reflective vignettes. They talk of first boyfriends, abortions, masturbation and sweet regrets.  Louisa fleetingly tells us of her ordeals with mental illness. There is a general feeling of complacency and a wholesome acceptance of decisions these flighty females have made for themselves, while grievances and disappointments are quickly brushed over.

The performers skittishly sing and dance, bouncing off each other with well rehearsed renditions that highlight their skills and ability to work with their performance material. Colorfully frocked, they stand on ladders with Louisa holding court at centre stage, along with her well-tuned acoustic guitar.

Stewart has briefly touched base with the idea of elderly euthanasia (a growing concern for our current ageing population). It would have been a good opportunity to delve into this grey area, but only skimming the surface leaves a concerning gap in the overall performance.

Their mother finally dies and life as it does, moves on anyway!

Flora Georgiou

Image by Hare Krishna of The Three Graces by Raphael, circa 1971. Improvisation artist, alternative reproduction of a world famous masterpiece in the style of expressionism. Oil on canvas in combination with pastels