TELL ME AGAIN
by Jeanette Cronin
Premiered at The Old 505 Theatre, Sydney, 2014.
Directed and Designed by Michael Pigott.
Synopsis
Attention: Spoiler Alert!
Tell Me Again is a memory play which explores one man's journey of love and loss. We travel backwards through time to unravel the terrible tragedy which has befallen him, and then move forwards with him as he tries to make sense of his conflicted heart.
We meet HIM on a bench by a lake, chatting amiably with a seeming stranger about the nature of birds, and indeed all things living. As we move backwards in time, this stranger becomes more and more familiar, until we recognise HER as his wife. We are privy to that most intimate of relationships, between those in love, each scene sharpening in focus as her symptoms bubble to the surface, and her early dementia becomes the stranger in their marriage.
Jeanette Cronin and James Lugton in Tell Me Again.
Photo by Michael Pigott.
Reviews
"The stage is a sacred space. It has endless possibilities, and many have occupied and used it for different purposes, to achieve every imaginable effect and result. Jeanette Cronin’s Tell Me Again shows a love and respect for the theatrical form and its audience, aiming to provide a moment in time with something deeply emotional, perhaps making us feel things in a way that our real daily lives are too fragile or restless to permit. Cronin’s play invites us to encounter what is truest of the human experience, by instigating a series of raw and naked visceral responses by removing the protection of narrative and logic. It is poetry in motion that encourages us to get in touch with the the spirit within that compels us toward every action, yet that internal essence seldom seeks to be the centre of attention. For these 80 minutes, we come face to face with it, and it is sublime."
Suzy Goes See
"The writing by first time play author, Jeanette Cronin, is fascinating, and has the literary echoes, for me, of Harold Pinter (The Lover, Old Times etc) and Edward Albee (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Tiny Alice etc.) - two authors not to be blinked at and, to boot, gorgeous to listen to. So, also, here, thanks Ms Cronin.
Welcome, to Ms Cronin's other talent as a writer. One hopes it is not the last time we witness it."
Kevin Jackson’s Theatre Diary
​
"This production like good art needs little introduction. ‘Tell Me Again’ is one of those rarely produced productions that speaks volumes on its own during viewing. One look and 2 minutes in and you are captivated, taken on a rawly beautiful journey by the impeccably sophisticated soundscape that gently surrounds the audience and characters like a protective hug from a loved one. What an experience Theatre 505 has hosted, like sugar and salt on the tip of the tongue no layer missed to savour.
‘Tell Me Again’ is a dynamic, heart wrenching sensation of the mystery of mind and soul. Jeanette Cronin has shown in writing and performance an internal Weltanschauung which are efforts both brave and praise worthy."
Theatre Unzipped by Stevie Zipper.
I HATE YOU MY MOTHER
by Jeanette Cronin
Premiered at The Old Fitz, Sydney, 2017.
Directed by Kim Hardwick.
Designed by Tyler Hawkins
Music by Nate Edmondson
Synopsis
When a Sixteenth Century Breton Bishop lays his hands on his illegitimate daughter he releases the spirit of the Bean Nighe, the ancient Celtic Goddess of Slaughter, unleashing a tide of revenge and retribution that can never be sated, a relentless domino effect, which rushes forward through history, infecting all who come after, tainting every heart and cutting innocence off at its knees.
I Hate You My Mother traces the path of one poisoned ancestral seed – Sister Bonaventura, a Sixteenth Century Breton nun with a dark past. Defiled by her ‘father of the cloth’, she goes on to become a bride of the only groom who will have her, Christ, and to birth her own bastard, the future representative of God on earth, Pope Pious The Umpteenth. We follow their descendants as they navigate their poisoned destinies: Lady Makepeace, an Eighteenth Century peasant girl made good; Tamora-Sue a Southern Belle sociopathic serial killer from the free and easy 1970's; Patricia, a schizophrenic fantasist holed up in a New South Wales mental hospital and Gaylene, a real live Irish banshee masquerading as a dementia patient.
Viewed through the shifting lens of time, five scenarios unpack the cultural and religious prejudices that have both birthed and perpetuated the oppression of the weak through mental and physical cruelty. A shot at redemption comes in the unexpected form of child-killer, Tamora-Sue, but the song lines run too deep, and the the cycle continues.
​
When the she-child reacts and wrests the power she is forever witch, forever sorceress, forever harlot. Cover her up, shut her up, teach her a lesson, or she will rip your soul right out of your body. But women must not transgress, retaliate, sin – Madonna, mother, nun is the preferred model.
Reviews
​
"I HATE YOU MY MOTHER is an intriguing exploration of dirty little secrets that plague multiple generations of women. Presented with passion and mystery, this is an interesting new play that will satisfy audiences that enjoy being challenged with thought provoking, intelligent works."
Jade Kops Broadway World.
​
…a complete delight and thrill to witness; I Hate You My Mother began its run on Tuesday and hit the ground sprinting…
The writing is clearly thick with intelligence and deep mystery which always requires a level of eloquence and magnetic performance. Cronin held that curiosity in the palm of her hand and refused to settle anything quickly…
Sabrina Stubbs, Talking Arts
​
This play is quite adventurous , and moves backward and forward in time over four hundred years. There are multiple characters played by Jeanette herself and a young NIDA graduate, Simen Glommen Bostad . The story covers topics such as incest, sexual betrayal, and even murder, but is is so beautifully written and acted that it never seems tawdry. Jeanette’s writing has always been excellent, but this play is her best yet.There are clever devices such as accents to ensure that there is no confusion, and these are accomplished brilliantly, especially be Jeanette Cronin whose versatility as an actress always amazes me.
The design, costuming and sound is really wonderful. The play overall is so entertaining that I was sorry when it finished, hoping that the interwoven stories could just continue!"
Jenny Bromberger.
Jeanette Cronin and Simen Glomen Bostad in I Hate You My Mother by Jeanette Cronin.
Photo, Rupert Reid.
I LOVE YOU NOW
by Jeanette Cronin.
Premiered at The Eternity Playhouse, Sydney, 2017.
Directed by Kim Hardwick.
Designed by Isabel Hudson
Music by Max Lambert and Roger Locke
Synopsis
​
I Love You Now is an exploration of a modern marriage sinking under the weight of an egocentric culture. Taking the idea of the quick-fix to its theatrical limits, I Love You Now challenges two actors to take on the roles of married couple, Leo and June and their six lovers. This conceit serves as a theatrical metaphor for our inability to communicate our needs to our partners and instead continually search anew for that feeling, that fix, that self-satisfaction. Are Leo and June searching for love, love lost, or the chance to simply start again, to shine in another's eyes without the baggage and worn gaze of familiarity?
Innovative, in that our protagonists do not share a scene until denouement, I Love You Now explores those relationship black holes where what we don't say finally overwhelms what we do and swallows us whole. Leo and June, mute in the face of such an abyss, open each act with a tango, the formality of the dance allowing them and us a theatrical home for their pain, loss and fury. Whether they are taking dance lessons to try and save their marriage or simply expressing the the poetry of their souls as unknowing characters in a play, is for the audience to ponder.
Three acts take us through the honeymoon, house-keeping and make or break stages of six illicit relationships, and through this prism of covert assignation we begin to piece together the marriage of Leo and June. As we meet their many lovers: Rob, Leo's identical twin brother and his wife Michelle; Dr. Shaw, Leo's psychiatrist; Father John Roache-Boyle, their Parish Priest; Melissa, the children's nanny, and Helmut, June's personal trainer, and unravel the intricacies of their lives and relationships to one another, we may ask: "Are these people real? Do they exist? Or are they a fantasy invented by the protagonists, shadows of their many selves? While June tries to cheat her way back to Leo, Leo is moving on. Each relationship becomes a mirror of a mirror of a mirror...new faces ask the same questions, things change, love grows old. But in the mayhem of distraction and deceit another shadow is lurking, one that June can't cheat.
Finally, when they do speak, Leo and June find themselves strangers in a marriage shattered by silence and neglect. Will they find the words to confront what every human must? The best way to say goodbye.
Reviews
​
Suzy Goes See Review by Suzy Wrong 14th June 2017.
The stage is disguised as a hotel room, and two actors play out a series of infidelities in short episodes. The fragments are unified by the amorous theme, but how they fit together as a complete entity is the creative, and intriguing challenge it presents to the audience. Jeanette Cronin’s I Love You Now takes conventional stories and puts them in poetic structure, so that the telling of an ordinary tale, can lead to the discovery of greater meanings in every day life.
Broadway World by Jade Kops 17th June 2017.
Cronin's text is detailed, thought provoking and insightful. Presented with an honesty and truth, I LOVE YOU NOW is both entertaining and heartbreaking, regardless of your experiences of love and relationships.
The AU Revue: 16/06/17 by Julian Ramundi.
Jeanette Cronin’s new play deconstructs modern infidelities with a wry wit and a knack for great dialogue. Cronin also performs alongside Paul Gleeson and the two display a heightened rapport, with gentle character shifts throughout.
Sydney Morning Herald by Jason Blake.
Cronin demonstrates flair in her dialogue and a great ear for the peccadilloes of the middle-aged middle class in their struggle for sexual and romantic fulfilment.
Australian Arts Review June 19th, 2017 quotes Artistic Director Glenn Terry.
“For our 2017 season we looked at many scripts by leading playwrights from Australia and overseas and I found Jeanette Cronin’s easy style and dialogue to be outstanding and world class,” says Glenn Terry, Executive Producer Darlinghurst Theatre Company. “On top of this Jeanette is a powerhouse performer and I’m proud to be championing this new Australian work.”
Theatregoer Simon Gillespie posted on Facebook:-
This is one of the strongest, most compelling pieces of theatre I’ve seen since The Royal Court in London, years ago. Jeanette Cronin has written something very rare. A piece of theatre that reels you in, almost unnoticed and then tickles,
tweaks and smacks you around the head in turns, leaving you gasping at the end. The twists and crossovers are mind-boggling, but so beautifully, deliciously delivered. From raunch to breathtaking sorrow, in one room, with no special effects. Dazzling, beautifully-crafted performances by the author and Paul Gleeson are underscored with perfect subtlety by the music of Max Lambert and Roger Lock, who hover almost voyeuristically behind a window and their instruments. I couldn’t explain this play if my life depended upon it. But I know I would kill to see it again and again. Exciting, hilarious, heart-breaking and confusing..and brilliant. BRILLIANT.
Reviews and Pics
Jeanette Cronin and Paul Gleeson in I Love You Now. Photos by Robert Catto.
