The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice

The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice
Image: Photo: Daniel Shipp

Jim Cartwright is a British playwright with a command for the vernacular on par with Dylan Thomas or Tennessee Williams. In his 1992 play, The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, set in a ghetto in Lancashire, Cartwright uses the distinct dialect to set place and tone, and define the characters. It’s a tricky accent, but not for Caroline O’Connor who was born in Lancashire and has worked in Northern England.

“I’ve been there, I know what that place is like,” says O’Connor, describing her affinity with the culture and people. O’Connor plays Mari, the “monster mum”, a woman who needs to suck up all the oxygen and attention in any space she occupies. She’s loud, showy, uncouth, needy, yet also endearing in an injured bird sort of way. 

“These people are like this for a reason, there must be an extraordinary vulnerability that is under here. This is a protection mechanism,” explains O’Connor. “It’s kind of a horrible thing to watch but it’s also a hilarious thing to watch – it’s that fine line.”

Mari is the mother of Little Voice (LV) and the play centres on their fraught relationship. LV is in her mid-twenties and introverted. She finds solace in playing her dead father’s records – Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, Billy Holiday etc – and imitating the singers.  An opportunistic shyster Mari is dating sees potential fame and fortune in exploiting LV’s talent. For O’Connor, the intense, dark, non-singing role of Mari is an exciting dramatic departure. For Geraldine Hakewill the role of LV is an exciting challenge. 

“They’re very complex and beautiful characters and it’s really lovely working with Caroline,” says Hakewill. To nail her impersonations she’s been studying drag queens.

“They really key into the idiosyncrasies of divas, so watching them is often more helpful than watching the actual person,” she explains. Hakewill believes LV inhabits the divas when she sings, trying to find a bigger voice than she herself has. But her journey comes full circle to an acute realisation.

“The thing that makes you different is important and should be embraced, it’s not something to be afraid of.”

Director Shaun Rennie agrees.

“It’s a play about a woman who finds her own voice and is finally able to speak to power. That to me felt like an important and relevant story to be telling today.” Rennie describes it as a modern fairy tale, replete with princess, wicked mother, a knight in shining armour and moral narrative. 

“Fairy tales have lasting power as stories because they do speak to something universal and timeless.”

Feb 1-24. Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst. $49-$62+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.darlinghursttheatre.com

By Rita Bratovich

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