A Woman of No Importance

Last night I spent the evening with my Mum. Sorry, I mean, Peggy Schofield. Mum (I mean, Peggy) is very concerned with her place in the world; her work hierarchy, the dinner room dynamics, what people wear and whether they have a ‘standard body size’. Peggy avers that she gets on with everyone and is a font of information on all her acquaintance. She enjoys sharing convoluted stories and can provide a witty (although hackneyed) quip for every interaction. She never fails to raise a laugh. Never.

Mum (I mean, Peggy) is alone in the world so when she becomes ill, she relies on the well wishes of her work colleagues and forges a new social network in the hospital. Oh, how we laughed at Peggy’s observations, her apposite remarks, and the ridiculous things of which she is proud. Oh, we laughed. Until we didn’t.

The setting for Alan Bennett’s one-woman play is an intimate space hidden in South Hobart.  Written originally for recently deceased Patricia Routledge, this monologue was intended to be delivered straight to the camera. Virginia Kamino interacts comfortably with the audience in a way that seems natural and rather than confronting. The audience is immediately onside even when cringing at Peggy’s outdated (this is the 1960s, after all) and somewhat critical opinions.

Spoilers below:

Careful lighting transitions facilitate Peggy’s decline in health. A single button is undone on Peggy’s collar. Her hair is unpinned. Peggy unravels. Kamino discloses a Peggy of changed opinions. She no longer laughs. Her eyes glaze, she is breathless and clutches at her blanket. Kamino (she of the oh-so-mobile eyebrows!) gives a start turn.

The duration of the play is just short of 60 minutes, but Peggy’s journey is a long one. The show was over by 8pm but I went from the theatre back to Mum in the Palliative Care ward. Any audience member who has seen someone of strong opinions and independent spirit facing change and uncertainty will feel the resonance of this story across time and space. Thank you, Virginia Kamino and Lisa Gormley. The importance of one lonely woman is something we all need to consider.

Anne Blythe-Cooper

Photographer: Flynn Kamino