2 Marys

Beautifully acted by two very strong performers, this World Premiere production tells a story inspired by the relationship between Mary Shelley and her friend Mary Diana Dods, an illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Morton who wrote as David Lyndsay and assumed the identity of aristocrat Sir Walter Sholto Douglas in order to marry another friend, Isabella Robinson, who was pregnant and had been abandoned.

Set against the stories of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Mary Dods’ The Yellow Dwarf, this is a beautifully drawn examination of what Mary Dods’ life may have been. 

Shirley Van Sanden is an impressive Mary Diana Dods, a lovely blend of vulnerability and feminine fire, who handles the transformation from Mary to Sir Walter with a notable change in demeanour. Nichola Renton was a warm and loveable Mary Shelley with intelligence and depth.

Beautifully dressed in costumes from recent WAAPA graduate Qi Cao, Mary Dods’ transformation is aided by a clever makeup design from Yvette Drager Wetherilt. Performed on a bare stage (although the lovely floorboards of the Arts Centre are a great asset), the show is backed by beautiful AV design from Chris Horgan, who also provides sensitive lighting design, nicely operated by Stage Manager Danika Bentley.

An interesting examination of an ‘othered’ 19th century writer, using the portal of a writer we know well, I imagine that this beautiful little play has inspired many an audience member to find out even more about Mary Dods. Such a shame that this was such a short run. I hope that this play has further life.

Kimberley Shaw