Mother and Son

If anyone doubted the influence of television one has to only look at what is playing at QPAC. Two out of their current three shows are based on television series, with the Cremorne housing Elise McCann’s loving tribute to Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy, and the Playhouse now home to a touring stage production of the sitcom Mother and Son.

Scriptwriter Geoffrey Atherden has given his 80s TV classic a makeover, and with it has come a makeover for its principal character, the wily and manipulative Maggie Beare. She’s been dragged reluctantly into the digital age and now has to deal with mobile phones, telemarketing, skype, and Indian call centres (one of the funniest sequences in the show). But not only are there changes to Maggie’s life her home seems to have also had a Better Homes and Garden makeover too. It’s brighter, glossier, and nowhere near as dowdy as the television version.

The new/old plot treads the same familiar ground as the series; Arthur has a new girlfriend whom he wants to marry, Robert has been found cheating again, and Maggie is resisting going into a care home. But it’s the familiarity with the characters and situations that bring the laughs and delight.

Best performance came from Nicki Wendt as the ball-breaking Liz. Whether on her way to Zumba, foiling Robert’s latest indiscretion, or coaxing her kids to skype with grandma, she was a powerhouse. Rob Carlton was a perfect match as her other half Robert, bringing the right amount of sleaze and charm to the serial-adulterer. The pushed-to-the-limits Arthur was in good hands with Darren Gilshenan, who brought warmth and sincerity to the role, likewise Rachael Beck who displayed a believable empathy as his new girlfriend Anita.

Which brings us to Noeline Brown’s Maggie Beare, the weakest performance in the play. Maggie is not just a forgetful old woman but one suffering from early dementia. There was none of the pathos that underlines this debilitating condition in her performance. It was all surface with no emotional sub-text. But despite Brown letting the side down, the rest of the cast were uniformly excellent and kept the piece bubbling.

Robyn Arthur’s turn as a respite home inmate was brief but memorable with her bleats on young girls’ fashion for exposed bra straps and tattoos bringing lots of laughs.

Roger Hodgman’s sluggish first act direction gave way to a pacy second which picked up the laughs considerably.

Mother and Son is a popular title and this stage version will do well on tour and should be a bonanza on the community theatre circuit in the future. It’s great fun!

Peter Pinne   

Photographer: Rob Maccoll.