Little Absences
‘It starts with little absences.’
Chris, a keenly intelligent and witty woman in the later years of her life, is obstinately still living at home, despite the concerns of her daughter, Jenny. But Jenny sees her elderly mother’s vulnerability and addiction - the battle she is not sure Chris is winning.
An exploration of an all-too-common story, this play asks: what do we do, as a society and individually, when our elders become too fragile to look after themselves?
Directed by Elnaz Sheshgelani, this play marks the triumphant return of senior CALD playwright, Grazia Marin (Why Can’t Women Be Like Men?, Waiting for Ice Cream). With a cast led by Australian theatre icon Janet Watson Kruse and supported by Veronicka Devlin and Piera Dennerstein, Little Absences sensitively gives voice to those who are all too often invisible: our female elders who have only just begun to live, and their caring children.
Feedback/Comments
Fabulous. Amazing acting from a small cast. Wonderful venue
confronting from point of view of the subject matter but also the closeness of the actors. We were in the front row!
Good play, there's scope to tighten the script
Commentary from support staff in the audience was distracting
Good acting
A bit sad but very good story and acting
The hard truth of gender disparity reflections and ageing! Loved it. Brilliant
Extraordinary acting, but a cold and bleak script without humour. Perhaps too close to reality to entertain.
Strong performances from the cast bring energy to a script that still feels like it’s developing. Clarifying character motivations and showing more through action rather than dialogue would help strengthen the story and its impact. Tightening pacing—especially in more urgent moments—could also improve engagement.
perfect performance
Excellent. Brilliant performance by Janet Watson Kruse. Heart breaking but witty and tender.
Absolutely brilliant acting. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
A touching rendition of the reflections of a live lived as cognitive decline arrives. The story sees the complex situation through the eyes two generations. A small set with a simple production and a small cast make for an intense audience experience
Moving, poignant, well acted, relatable. Just felt about 15-20 min too long. The last scene was brilliant though.
Wonderful show
.Beautiful and sensitive portrayal of the heartbreak and challenge of coming to terms with the cognitive decline of a loved one and the recognition of a life that could have been.
Very well performed , verging on a hyper real representation. It was lacking nuance and dramatic colour which resulted in on overly long play to depict the reality of an aging woman and her loss on many levels.