★★★★☆
What does a crew of early 20th-century explorers to Antarctica have in common with a group of modern-day aged care residents? A boundless hope, an adventurous spirit, regrets, and more. They explore life’s biggest questions in Patricia Cornelius’s beautifully haunting Do Not Go Gentle, presented by Queensland Theatre Company.
A strange obsession with a failed mission sees five senior residents living with dementia navigate their past and come to terms with their futures as they slip closer and closer to the great unknown.
In November 1911, their hero, British naval Captain Robert Falcon Scott (William Zappa), led a dangerous expedition into the freezing, unexplored Antarctic landscape with the goal of becoming the first person to reach the South Pole. However, in a race against Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen, Scott ultimately lost despite his fierce determination and unrelenting spirit.
Do Not Go Gentle masterfully juxtaposes a doomed voyage with a life well lived. It is one long, spectacular metaphor for everything you dream of accomplishing but will never be able to do.
Playwright Patricia Cornelius is a trailblazer in Australian theatre, with works including My Sister Jill (2002), Slut (2008) and Runt (2021). Cornelius proudly voices the aspirations and concerns that make up the lives of everyday Australians existing in the margins of society.
Her writing for Do Not Go Gentle has won multiple awards, including the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Drama and the Victorian Premier’s Louis Esson Prize for Drama, both in 2011. The play premiered at Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs theatre before making its mainstage debut in 2023 with Sydney Theatre Company.
In this production, award-winning and internationally renowned director Heather Fairbairn expertly paves the way to success. Under her guidance, the story’s themes of hope and resilience blossom. Fairbairn brings warmth to the cold and clinical climate and will have audiences hoping for a different ending to the perpetually doomed voyage.
Leading the band of explorers is William Zappa as the perseverant Scott. He brilliantly embodies the confidence and optimism needed to guide the steadfast crew to the South Pole.
Jennifer Flowers’ portrayal of Wilson is an absolute ray of sunshine. Surrounded by the sombre tones of the play, Flowers’ compassion and eagerness are a comforting light.
Playing an ambitious retired journalist plagued by a failing mind and too many questions she can’t find answers to is the wonderful Christen O’Leary. Her unshakable passion and energy as Bowers are inspiring. She expertly balances both the courage and fear that occur when living with dementia.
The barren and eerie landscape of Antarctica is brought to the stage by designer Simone Romaniuk. At first, her stage design seems minimalistic and practical, with delicate white curtains representing snow and tents, as well as a wall of mirrors that reflect out into the audience.
But as the show continues, Romaniuk’s full artistic talent is unveiled, with the stage and costumes slowly transforming to reveal the characters’ real life outside of their shared delusion.
Sound designer Julian Starr and composer Alan John present a beautifully melancholic ambience. The combination of piano and 90-year-old Marilyn Richardson’s stunning operatic singing is mesmerising.
Do Not Go Gentle celebrates the power of imagination as a tool to escape a painful and hard reality. It shows the depth and wisdom that comes with age, all the while poking fun at its little quirks. It will have audiences leaving the theatre misty-eyed and dreaming up their own adventures.
Ultimately, Do Not Go Gentle shows the cold, hard truth of what really matters in life: companionship, purpose and the chance to leave behind a legacy that cannot be forgotten. It is a final voyage towards finding all three.
Do Not Go Gentle is presented by Queensland Theatre Company and runs to 30 August. Bille Brown Theatre, 78 Montague Road South Brisbane 4101.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://queenslandtheatre.com.au/plays/do-not-go-gentle
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/qld_theatre/
Photo credits: Stephen Henry
Watch the cast and creatives on Do Not Go Gentle in this brief:
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