My Name is Lucy Barton

My Name is Lucy Barton

Opening night for My Name is Lucy Barton on the square. Full house, intimate. Nothing beats a full house on the square. I was with Sam, Lorrie, Bronwen and Sharon - Yahto too. Thank you for the invite Collett Dawson. I was excited for this one. I was also with Leigh Harrison, the CEO of Wisdoms123, that made my day! Julie-Anne McDowell amazing on the stage, expressive, animated, lively and alive. There's emotion in her words, she even sheds a tear or two. That's when you realise that theatre is serious business, better than moving pictures because you can't fake it. Theatre is for real actors. No second take, no rerun, run now and do it perfect. Julie-Anne did it perfect, no mistakes, line over line executed perfectly. Theatre is athletic, it's endurance, enthusiasm, I mean doing the same show around the country everyday. Same intensity, same force, same emotion! Julie-Anne has been captivating audiences nationwide. Cape Town aghast and Joburg pretty much the same. Wonderful show, expert storyteller. The writing is unbelievable! It's a writers fairy-tale. The words are descriptive and emotive, they transport you to her world, her perspective. Family dynamics and personal identity always triumphs. Key questions as a writer though. The two articles published in the magazine, what were they about? What was the book about? That felt rushed and suddenly it popped into my consciousness. I wish more time was spent on delivering these details, I felt it would have connected more with the audience. I was curious. She's a writer, right? Surely her subject matter matters. That wasn't explored. When the audience is invested in the plot the pay-off is sweeter. It's a pay-off without fireworks but it was dramatic - the lights and the music ensured that. Julie-Anne is captivating and enthralling. She is a natural born performer. There is range in her performance, how she switches tempos and emotion. She is 3 dimensional, leaping from one state and emotion to another, she had the audience spellbound throughout. The delivery in her words, no mistakes and the cues on time. She is talented. She is expressive. She gives all of her self. Again, delivery spot-on - she was totally in the moment. She makes use of the stage to perfection. She is effective. The performance was a definition of flow, she was automatic, she was pretty much great. She is a serious performer. The lighting was nauced and subtle but moved the story in a major way. It dictated the tempo and the beats of the script. Feeling; in the words, it was a performers show. One woman show, great script, wonderful lighting, minimalistic set and an outstanding performance. Shout-out Rona Munro, the script is awesome! Congratulations Charmaine Weir-Smith and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.