1997: Whose Life Is It Anyway? by Brian Clark

Whose Life Is It Anyway? by Brian Clark.  Director, Colin Anderson. Canberra Repertory at Theatre 3.  Wednesdays to Saturdays April 11 to May 3. 

    A sculptor lies paralysed from the neck down.  His injuries are "stabilised": he requires 24 hour nursing to keep him "alive".  A man of intelligence and wit, Ken Harrison (Allan Cope) instructs a solicitor to argue for his release from hospital - to his certain death.  Senior Dr Emerson (Ian Carcary), under oath to preserve life, uses the Mental Health Act to keep him in hosptial.

    Like Justice Millhouse (Fay Butcher) I must try to make a balanced judgement: she, about the man's dilemma; I, about production values.  The evidence she hears for clinical depression is unsustained: she concludes Harrison's freedom to make his own decision is paramount.  I found evidence of theatrical dilemma, but not certain death.

    The play's life is in Colin Anderson's hands, in Brian Clark's 1978 text, and in the minds of a sympathetic audience responding to Michael Moore's withdrawal of his active euthanasia bill following the passing of Andrews' bill in the Senate.

    The text is dated: it's a theatre-in-education piece of its period, where characters represent aspects of an Issue, and the audience should have a class discussion with Teacher's Notes.  Because the director did not properly respect this theatrical form, there was confusion between stylised set design and blocking of movements (which belong to the form) and naturalistic acting (which does not).  Rep being largely a voluntary theatre group, actors' ability to produce naturalistic performance is quite variable: Alison Murphy (Sister Anderson) proved the value of her training; while Lainie Hart (Nurse Sadler) and Chris Fox (John) were the natural talents.  Allan Cope struggled with an impossible task through the first act, warmed up in the second, but had nowhere to go at the end.  Tightly controlled levels and timing (to stylise the acting) could have created much greater emotional responses to the issues.

    The committed audience, however, despite my gritty criticisms, resonated to the feelings and thoughts raised by the play, praising the actors with strong applause at curtain call.  The play, like Ken Harrison, if not entirely in the best condition, has a life of its own. 


© Frank McKone, Canberra