The Seven Stages of Grieving

QTC's commencement of their Greenhouse season is with the 20th anniversary of this well-known and travelled Australian work, featuring Chenoa Deemal, in a moving and captivating performance, as the solo aboriginal girl (Chenoa stems from the Thitharr Warra clan in the Cape York Peninsula) expressing her and her peoples' interpretation of certain historical events and the trials and tribulations our First Nation people have endured over time.

Set on a bare stage with simple props, a grand and impressive sound/projection design by Justin Harrison and some very effective lighting by Daniel Anderson, we are taken on a journey through the poignant life and times of a character living through the influences of traditional culture and the impact of living in modern times. Combining pathos, humility, passion, humour and black comedy (no pun intended), and even an updated dig at some of those currently in the limelight, this is a play that has endured the test of time simply because of its timeless universal message: something which had to be written for our nation to see, and what better a vehicle than through the eyes of a sensitive single human in touch with the soul of her people, their traditions and sense of family. Even with the opening, somewhat humorous, brief dissertation about the eccentricities of her grandmother, it was quite touching to hear that hundreds of people attended her gran's funeral. Would that happen to the majority in modern Australia?

Much time and media presentation has passed since the play first opened, so its impact would have been more severe 20 years ago, but it is in keeping for the QTC to consider the mark it had on our society, even today, and particularly in view of its past success. For this reason I ignored certain timing sequences that I felt could have captured the audience even more in the latter segments, but the message was clear and there was indeed a touch of magic, even spiritually so, in The 7 Stages of Grieving's sparse but meaningful presentation.

Brian Adamson