'A day in the death of Joe Egg'

‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg’ by Peter Nichols, is considered a theatrical landmark piece, and is Class Act Theatre’s latest challenging production. The play, which over 40 years has won three British Tony Awards for Best Play, is now showing at The Subiaco Arts Centre Studio, Hamersley Road, Subiaco each evening at 8 pm until the 20^th June.

        At a tough Bristol secondary school, a frustrated and exhausted teacher, Bri (Peter Clark) is drawing to an end the last class of the semester before the Christmas season of goodwill. The only thing that keeps him going each day is the thought of getting home to his actress wife, Sheila (Shirley Van Sanden) for a passionate session. However, as a result of looking after their 12-years old, virtually brain dead, ‘wegetable’ daughter Josephine (Melissa Kiiveri), one suspects that with Sheila’s unending fatigue, the lovemaking rarely takes place.

        Faced with being morose for their whole lives, the couple instead decide to re-enact with very black humour, their happier times. They depict Jo’s birth and her many consultations, with a range of totally uncompassionate and incompetent doctors over the years.

        It becomes apparent that Bri is realistic about the situation, and the impossibility of his daughter’s recovery, whereas Sheila lives in constant hope that a cure is just around the corner.

        One night two of their friends, a staunch Socialist – yet successful businessman - and social bore, Freddie (Grant Watson) and his intolerant, squeamish, and yuppie wife, Pam (Angelique Malcolm) call around to see them. They offer well-meaning, but totally inappropriate advice. There is a knock on the door; it is Grace (Claire Munday), Bri’s molly-coddling, overbearing mother whose presence has exacerbated the already heavy toll on their marriage. She ‘knows’ why Sheila’s previous lifestyle is to blame for her granddaughter’s condition.

         The alternatives for Jo’s future are considered, but will Bri’s chilling fantasies become real?

In 1967, whilst a student in Scotland, I saw the premiere of this satirical and emotionally shattering play. It was performed at the Citizens’ Theatre, situated in the deprived Glasgow Gorbals. At that time the play was extremely controversial, not so much because of the politically incorrect script (because in those days nothing was politically incorrect!) but because of the playwright’s gall in discussing the problems and feelings of a ‘socially unacceptable’ disabled person, who should actually be simply locked away. In those days society exhibited all the emotions of the play’s character, Pam. Now, thank goodness, many of the attitudes in the script are recognised as misguided and distasteful.

Nine years later, Dennis Potter wrote ‘Brimstone and Treacle’ with a similar storyline, but he brought another contentious and disturbing idea to the plot.

Because Peter Nichols had a daughter with cerebral palsy, he has written ‘Joe Egg’ with a strong knowledge and without any self-censorship, thus any parent with a severely handicapped child will not be offended, but fully appreciative of his tale. As with Brecht, Nichols’ characters involve the audience, confiding in them, discussing the situation and explaining their thought processes.

Director Stephen Lee has captured every subtle nuance of the family’s life. With an amazingly talented cast, he guided them to outstanding performances.

Peter Clark has proved himself in community theatre over the years, but here he shows with a powerful and incredible, energy-filled performance, that he is one of WA’s best performers. He plays several very different characters, flowing seamlessly between the personae. Shirley Van Sanden, as you have never seen her before, gives a strong performance as the optimistic mother. Claire Munday displayed all the mannerisms of an interfering old bat! 14-year old Melissa Kiiveri had superb observation of the mannerisms of a severely brain damaged child, and was totally flaccid whilst being handled, a very difficult condition to depict on stage. Angelique Malcolm and Grant Watson topped off this absolutely amazing cast.

Costume design by Meredith Ford is wonderful, from the wrinkled stockings of Grandma to the leather elbow patches of Bri. The sensitive lighting design by Aaron Stirk worked beautifully.

It is many years since I have cried with laughter at a play, but when Grace arrived the humour reached a peak. I have run out of superlatives for this heart-warming comedy. A must see.