Court Theatre, Christchurch
From the Promo:
“I thought they’d be like us. But better than us. That’s what we worked so hard for. Wasn’t it?”
Bob and Fran Price have four adult children: Pip, Mark, Ben, and Rosie. Each child has his or her own unique struggles and secrets that they try to keep hidden from their parents, but Fran has a knack for knowing what is true in each of their lives, whether it is an unhappy marriage (Pip), heartbreak (Rosie), redefined sexuality (Mark), or drug use (Ben). As the children try to redefine their lives separately from the hopes and dreams of their parents, what is real and genuine in the Price family falls apart under scrutiny, and Bob and Fran must redefine their relationships with their children and with each other. Funny, poignant, and heartbreaking, Things I Know to be True examines the dynamics of a family and how they understand truth in the face of tragedy.
Directed by: Shane Bosher Written by: Andrew Bovell
Starring: Stephen Lovatt (Bob Price)
Lara Macgregor (Fran Price)
Heather O'Carroll (Pip Price)
Simon Leary (Mark/Mia Price)
Daniel Watterson (Ben Price)
Caitlin Rivers (Rosie Price)
Plot
The plot of Things I Know To Be True follows the story and the many struggles of the Price Family. The play begins with a monologue from Rosie Price on a European getaway during her gap-year. She reveals that she had met a man called Emanuel while she was in Berlin, but found that he'd stolen most of her valuables and run away when she woke up one night - forcing her to return to Australia.
As Rosie returns home, we see the rest of the family come to meet her. While this is all happening, it is revealed that Pip, Rosie's elder sister, has decided to leave her husband and two children behind to live in Vancouver; her mother, Fran, disapproves, especially after she found out that Pip had been cheating. Fran is particularly disappointed, as she states that she saw a lot of herself in Pip. Later in the play, Pip has moved to Vancouver and had written a letter to Fran, finally emotionally connecting with her after a rather abusive childhood. It takes hundreds of miles for the two characters to finally be together emotionally.
In another angle of the plot, the Price's second child, Mia, then presenting as a man and using the name Mark, reveals that she is a transgender woman. This comes as a shock to the rest of the family, with Fran again being particularly displeased. She reveals that she wishes to move to Sydney to begin hormonal therapy. We do not see Mia presenting as a man again, but see her presenting as a woman later.
Another sub-plot is that Fran had been saving around $250,000 as a get-out fund for her relationship with Bob, stating that it is "hard to love someone for 30 years straight." She admits to Bob that she once thought of running away - like Pip had just done - but stayed together for the sake of their children. Fran then says that she now saves it for them to treat themselves. She asks Bob where he'd most like to go and he replies Kruger National Park. To his surprise, she agrees to go, yet they never do.
The final sub-plot of this play is centred around the younger son, Ben, and his father, Bob. Bob finds a European car parked outside; it turns out to be Ben's and Bob wants to know how he found the money, with Ben answering that he worked hard for it. This appears to be insignificant, until later in the play Ben returns home, sweating and speaking quickly. Rosie is the only person indoors at the time and she realises quickly that Ben had been taking drugs. Bob and Fran then enter, now even more curious about his money situation. Bob asks Ben what drugs he'd taken, to which Ben replies, "It'd be easier to ask which ones I haven't." Bob then snaps, shouting and swearing at Ben - it is at this moment that Ben reveals that he had been skimming, and that's where he'd retrieved the money for the drugs and flashy car.
As all this is happening, however, tragedy strikes. It is revealed that Fran had been involved in a car crash and was pronounced dead on arrival. She passes away without reconciling with Mia, emotionally connecting with Pip in person, forgiving Ben and taking Bob to South Africa. The children return to Adelaide to meet Bob and Rosie for Fran's funeral.
Franciska's Review:
Tragic. Heartfelt. Poignant.
At times confronting, with a sprinkling of humour, Things I Know to be True had me reflecting upon my own experiences and understandings of life, love, family, and loss.
Life is hard.
Tears were shed. And not just by me. I think it is fair to say that everyone in the audience was affected by some aspect of the story as it unfolded.
Grief is the price we pay for love.
The set was understated, yet rich with meaning. My own meanings, just to be clear.
A deciduous tree suspended from the ceiling, with falling leaves. On the surface, it depicts the change of seasons - from summer to autumn. Delve deeper and it echoes the passage of time; a period of change; moving from warmth and vibrancy towards the darker, colder aspects of life.
The four rose bushes. One on the left, three on the right. Without a doubt symbolising the children, but who was on which side? Who was the separated one? Who was the outcast? Each of the children at some point during the story felt like they didn't belong. Yet at the same time, each needing to find their own path and to break free.
And of course, the changing blooms on the rose bushes themselves, depicting the passage of time, until the final scene in which Bob uproots every single one, signaling the end. The end of what they knew to be their family. The end of the life of the matriarch. And on the most basic level, the end of the play.
Also notable were the four chairs. Gradually reducing in number as one by one, each of the children leave the family unit. Until nothing is left on the stage but an empty swing - a symbol of a carefree childhood.
Fran's final comment to Bob was her dislike of the preciseness and order of the rose bushes. She wanted them gone; replaced by a chaos of eclectic plants. Perhaps a better reflection of what had become of her family. And following Bob's physical reaction to shock and grief, Fran's wishes were fulfilled.
This play wasn't without controversy. Specifically, there was backlash over the casting of a cisgender actor in the role of a transgender woman. I respect the outrage - it could be on par with casting a Pākehā actor in the role of a Māori person. As I understand, there are two considerations here. Firstly, by casting a cisgender actor, the production further perpetuates the power imbalance, stigma, and discrimination that excludes transgendered persons from participating in theatre. Secondly, questions are raised over the appropriateness of a cisgender actor telling the story of a transgender person. As a postgrad student interested in PAR (participatory action research), I whole heartedly believe that the marginalised, stigmatised, and dis-empowered members of society need to be given opportunities to speak their truth; and the transformative benefits of doing so. I also choose to believe that the producer and casting director had good intentions; that they consulted the transgender community; and that perhaps they experienced difficulties in finding a transgender actor to play the part of Mark/Mia. And I trust in the ability of actors to fully research their roles so that they may respectfully and authentically tell their story.
On this occasion, I could not find fault in any member of the cast.
End note: during the interval I had a brief encounter with a lovely human behind the bar... we bonded over ginger wine (thanks to my knowledgeable date)... Today whilst looking for photos for this blog post I was delighted to discover her on this video...
“Family means to me forgiveness, encouragement, unconditionally there for you, it allows you to soar like a bird, its love, its laughter, and its kindness.”
Rachel is my kind of human.