Bombshells by Johanna
Murray-Smith. Directed by Jordan Best. Echo Theatre. The Q Theatre. August
27-29.
Johanna
Murray-Smith’s Bombshells is a
series of insightful sketches reflecting the lives of a motley collection of
women.
Jordan Best’s
thoughtful production is off touring and is a tighter version than the one she
directed in 2024, dropping off the last character, a singer from America doing
a desperate Australian visit. This gave the show a slightly tentative finish on
opening night but director and cast will find the right energy to tighten this.
The result is strong
and often funny stuff, beginning with the pressurised monologue of a mother
(Yanina Clifton) dealing with the non stop demands of a new baby and a couple
of other small kids. Then comes the older woman (Louise Bennet) who is trying to
sublimate her marriage breakup by taking up a new hobby, growing cactus. The results as they
show up in her presentation to what seems to be a cactus growers’ club are
angry and spiky and darkly funny.
A bride (Ella Buckley),
about to marry, talks through the romantic elements until she is left with some
pretty mundane realities. The dress is not everything. A performance mad
teenager (Sally Taylor) learns that not everyone plays fair as a rival in the
talent quest sets out to outmanoeuvre her.
And a gentle widow
(Lainie Hart) finds surprising fulfilment in reading to the blind…
Lovely perceptive stuff
full of strong personalities that should appeal on tour.
Incidentally the
lighting crew are to be congratulated for their navigation of the loss of a
vital light at a crucial moment.
Alanna Maclean
