Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer: Rachel Bellman
Director: Jasmine Teo
“Missed Opportunities”
2.5 / 5
Aunt Mirah is the self-proclaimed ‘woman in the woods’ living far away from her family in a small, remote cottage. Her research and writing on 16th century Jewish exorcisms, has gained her a reputation with the teenagers in the village as the local witch, ignoring their antisemitic bullying until one boy takes it a step too far.
Leah (Olivia Marcus) is Mirah’s 17 year old niece and somewhat of an outsider herself. Similar to her aunt, she doesn’t have many friends and is captivated by the possibility of the spiritual realm. When Mirah (Annie Marcuson) is rushed to hospital after a fall, Leah is determined to hunt down the culprit, no matter how much her sister Danielle (Liv Andrusier) tries to stop her.
Rachel Bellman’s script is full of promising subject matter – the dark possibility of a demonic presence, the mental struggle of fighting inner demons, family bonds being tested under pressure and the various levels of how faith can be explored through an individual. However, as intriguing as these themes are, they don’t ever fully take hold and captivate in the way that they could. For most of the show, audiences are waiting for something to happen – whether it’s the horror they were promised in the plot description or simply a deeper unravelling of the family and their respective relationships, but everything remains at a very safe surface level, rather than delving a bit deeper, which at points leads to a level of tedium. There are minor plot reveals (their mothers departure, the mysterious boy, the item hidden in a shoebox) that could be utilised better for a stronger storyline, but instead they quickly fade into the background, and the focus instead remains on the too similar back and forth conversation between the sisters.
At points it is a bit creepy, figures in the background holding dimly lit candles on the otherwise darkened stage, but overall, it would be much better billed as a family drama rather than a thrilling, dark comedy-horror. The relationship between the sisters is humorously believable – their (not always) subtle snipes and contrasting natures working really well in establishing immediate character connections between the two. Andrusier’s whiney Danielle automatically showcases the reticent, perfect persona that she embodies, while Marcus’s Leah takes inspiration from a Kevin and Perry style petulant teenager to highlight the age differences and maturity between the two sisters. The character of Aunt Mirah is at the centre of each of the story-arc – the house, the attack, being Leah’s go-to guardian and the knowledge of Jewish demonology. Marcuson does well at holding each story together even without being constantly on stage.
There are a lot of missed opportunities within this production that would help each narrative arc take hold better, but Bellman’s premise is still an interesting one, that once honed slightly more could really impress.
Runs Until 14 October 2023
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