Stricken by grief, a mother pummels a young man’s bare chest with her fists. She screams and curses, before collapsing to the ground in a fit of tears. Her husband simply looks on in helpless shock.
The woman’s daughter, Milla, had suffered a prolonged terminal illness. She died before reaching the age of 15.
The opening scene of Babyteeth is excruciatingly confronting, but in some ways swiftly relieves the audience of the inevitable. The onslaught of grief is surreal, maybe because the impact of illness and fatality are garish realities to relatively few people. Due to this, the story has the ability to offer a profound and different experience to all.
As it laments wasted life, Rita Kalnejais’ beautifully crafted piece also explores and celebrates what it is to live fully. Her comedic writing provides some relief from the emotional tumult, but with such weighty themes, it is sometimes difficult to lull the guilt of laughter.
The balance of extremes, stereotypes and the use of symbolic ambiguity can sometimes be a little clumsy. However, Kalnejais finds strength in her characters, the treatment of subject matter and the unique narrative structure.
Danielle Catanzariti gives a remarkable performance as the strong willed but physically frail Milla. Catanzariti capitalises on character development, shifting her character’s story from imminent death to a rousing coming-of-age. Matt Crook’s heavy lidded Moses is just as solid.
Actors Claire Jones and Chris Pitman capture both the humour and pathos of parents Anna and Henry. It soon becomes difficult to discern who requires most sympathy, as their destructive survival mechanism threatens to overshadow Milla’s resignation to illness.
Supporting cast members are generally quite strong, although some of the more emotionally demanding scenes are hampered by a lack of conviction and unusual delivery of dialogue.
The production is technically impressive in many ways (commendable design by Wendy Todd), but would not have been quite as affecting without Hilary Kleinig’s score. Repetitive, rhythmic and lyrical; the music is a fitting accompaniment to the narrative.
Babyteeth is a pertinent exploration of the value of life, and it would be difficult to remain unmoved by the story.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Babyteeth
A State Theatre Company of South Australia production
By Rita Kalnejais
Directed by Chris Drummond
Set Design: Wendy Todd
Lighting Design: Geoff Cobham
Composer: Hilary Kleinig
Sound Design: Andrew Howard
Performed by Danielle Catanzariti, Matt Crook, Claire Jones, Chris Pitman, Paul Blackwell, Alyssa Mason, Lawrence Mau, James Min
Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
16 August – 7 September
(Pictured: Photo: Shane Reid)
