Turns

The opportunity to see two of Australia’s musical theatre legends, Reg Livermore and Nancye Hayes kicking up their heels was enticing, expectant, and ultimately satisfying.

Turns was a piece of theatre that addressed serious issues; dementia, alzheimer’s, familial responsibility to the aged, with an overlay of vaudeville schtick. These are hard issues we face at some time in our lives and Turns addressed them with honesty and a lot of laughs.

That it worked so well was a credit to the two stars. From the opening you knew that you were in good and assured hands. Nancye Hayes as Margery Joy, a 94 year-old woman who believed she was a show-business veteran showed a boldness in performance we rarely see from her. She was funny, outrageous and moving. Reg Livermore as her long-suffering care-providing son Alistair was equally as big, with an underlying pathos that gave the character heart. The pantomime set-pieces were a joy and brought back instant memories of the Tivoli, and the set design by James Browne, with some help from Cliff Simcox and Reg Livermore, was clever and simple.

Vincent Colagiuri’s underscore piano accompaniment, with its mix of Ivor Novello, Jerome Kern, and others from the 1930s, brought a potent touch of nostalgia to this fragile but important piece. Producer Christine Dunstan is to be congratulated on bringing these two theatrical icons together in such an original and thoughtful work.

Peter Pinne

Watching Nancye Hayes and Reg Livermore on stage is like having an appointment with royalty, show business royalty in this case. Combined they have more than a century of theatrical experience.

But at a time when many start putting their feet up, these doyens are hoofing  it across almost every nook and cranny of Australia with a crackerjack production.

Like a beautiful box of chocolates, the production is beautifully wrapped, both in set and costumes, with tasty morsels sweet and sour.

Nancye Hayes bursts onto the stage as the aging pantomime star Marjorie Joy. In a love letter to pantomime, vaudeville and 1940’s cinema, she cracks corny jokes, dances and sings sweet tunes.

“I used to be in show business. Can you tell?” she quips.

The answer is most certainly yes. Her routine is both energetic and polished.

In the background is Reg Livermore, who plays Alistair her son. In the first half he is almost invisible. His character is said to be struggling with his mother’s dementia. But given how entertaining she is – his predicament does not evoke much sympathy.

When Majory Joy makes her show business exit, Reg Livermore’s character is allowed to flower. At last the writer can deliver the best lines himself.

It turns out that Majory Joy’s career was not as brilliant as she made out, and she was good at making up stories on stage and off.

At this point Alistair reflects on the challenges of looking after an elderly relative.

Be warned there is an urn with some loose ashes involved.

But the moments of seriousness are quickly dispensed with as more gags are delivered including, one that will bring water to the eyes of all the men in the audience.

It’s more fun that you can poke a shtick at.

David Spicer

Photos by Lorrie Graham

Read our Q & A with Reg Livermore - link

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