Review: we need more loving plays like Meet My Grandies
Written by Amelia Burke and Noemie Huttner-Koros, directed by Amelia Burke
Review by Martha Latham
Intergenerational trauma seems to be sitting at the front of everyone's brains these days. From Anatomy of a Suicide to Parasite to some of the more intense episodes of Bluey, we have collectively seemed to realise that in order to understand our misgivings and biases we need to look at what we have unknowingly inherited.
Meet My Grandies at La Mama asks: “why does generational introspection have to be so dark and gloomy?” The work is a lovely development where three young performers, Ruby Elliot, Rose Smith and Kershawn Theodore, take on the task of representing their grandparents onstage. Based on hours of interviews turned into stories, recordings or impressions, the performers take us into their world and showcase their grandparents with a deep sense of respect and love.
Love is undoubtedly at the heart of Meet My Grandies. Writers Amelia Burke and Noemie Huttner-Koros capture the relationships, personalities and quirks of these performers on stage so effectively. Ruby, Rose and Kershawn move between being a version of themselves and their Grandies exactly the way you’d expect; hunched backs, strained vocals and well chosen props (nothing says grandma like a pair of broken aqua coloured Crocs). Whether it’s Rose talking through her ways of explaining autism to her grandmother, Ruby reacting to her kooky grandfather’s sound design, or Kershawn telling us about his grandfather's complicated past, the work is beautifully nuanced and honest at all times.
Now, all this love doesn’t mean the team is afraid to ask the bigger questions. Director Amelia Burke has always described her art to me as the triangulation of climate change, feminism and comedy. Meet My Grandies is no different, with some thought-provoking moments spattered throughout. It was a refreshing slap in the face to hear one of the performers casually remark on their crippling climate anxiety, and a daily fear that there wouldn’t be any future for them. Even more stark was the fact that every single audio recording from the Grandies included fears there wouldn’t be a planet for the grandchildren they love so much. The team leads you through these moments with care and humour, challenging and enlightening you. This all culminates in a hilarious sequence where the Grandies recount their expectations of the future (with flying bikes having a much larger presence than you’d expect).
If we can look into our past and examine our weaknesses, should we not also be able to find our strengths? Surely the solution to intergenerational trauma is intergenerational healing. To look backwards and forwards together, and to grow not as elders and youths, or teachers and students, but as friends and family. Meet My Grandies is a wonderful play about the strength of our young and the wisdom of our old. Take it as a reminder to diversify your generational interactions, to learn a TikTok dance and listen to AM radio, and to hug and cherish the people in your life. Better yet, take them to see Meet My Grandies next time it graces the stage.
Meet My Grandies played at La Mama Theatre from 22 - 23 October. Find more information here.
Images by Darren Gill
Martha Latham hates art and thinks it should be defunded. She also thinks Myki inspectors should have guns. We really didn’t want her but we needed to hit our gender equity quotas. Find out which of those things are true @sad_goldfish.
This article has been generously donated by Martha.
Like this review? Buy us a $5 coffee here. You can do it once, once a month or as many times as you like.
