Theatre Review: My Sister Jill

 The Play: My Sister Jill

The Company: Melbourne Theatre Company

The Theatre: The Sumner Theatre Southbank

Stars: 4

Closing 28 October

I was keen to see this play mostly because I was curious as to how Angourie Rice, normally known as a screen actress, would translate her skills to the stage. 

But after a few minutes of watching this play I was pleasantly surprised by not only Rice, but the rest of the ensemble were great. There was nothing to worry about, and I settled into the hour and forty-minute play about fractured families, all the while knowing that elements of this rang very true and close to the bone. 

My Sister Jill is not just about the character of Jill. It's a coming of age story for all of the younger characters. 

The play starts in the late 50s. Christine (Angourie Rice) is negotiating the difficult family dynamics she lives on a daily basis. There's Dad (Ian Bliss) a returned prisoner of war, struggling with PTSD and terrorising his family in equal measure. The's the long-suffering Mum (Maude Davey) who's trying to keep the family together. Christine's brothers, Johnny (James O'Connell), Door (Benjamin Nichol) and Mouse (Zachary Pidd) all have difficult relationships with their father, who is caring, distant and violent in equal measure. It's Jill (Lucy Goleby) who has her father's measure, treating him like the monster he is.

As the play progresses, we see how the children's views on their father change as they age. The Vietnam war arrives, and the boys face conscription. Jill's views on the war are polar opposite to those of her father. Mum still struggles to keep the family together. 

For me, Patricia Cornelius's script and Susie Dee's directing were spot on. Coming from a dysfunctional family, I could understand what it is to live under the rule of an irrational male, so deeply flawed, and nothing can be done to change the situation. The staging and lighting were understated - just as the times demanded.

This was a treat. Thought-provoking, and at times, a little close to the bone as we witnessed the family endure the non-sensical tirades of their mentally unstable father. 

This closes tomorrow, that this play is a sleeper hit for what is a very good Melbourne Theatre Company season. 

Today's song: