Things that Matter supplies a sobering account of the alarming state of our healthcare system, fed by an unhealthy meals business and ongoing poverty that has tragically impacted marginalised communities reminiscent of South Auckland. Although primarily based on Dr David Galler’s best-selling memoir Things That Matter: Stories of Life & Death, written three a long time in the past, award-winning playwright Gary Henderson adeptly brings us to the current day displaying that nothing a lot has modified for our healthcare system, its sufferers, and important employees.
The principal narrative, set in Middlemore hospital’s Accident & Emergency unit follows the more and more pressured and irritating working atmosphere of the lead character Rafal Beckman (Ian Hughes) and his ethereal father Leon Beckman (Greg Johnson).
As an integral member of the South Auckland group, director Anapela Polata’ivao’s compassionate perception is the right complement to Henderson’s script to deliver this new work to life. Her path shows admirable restraint when delivering such weighty messaging concerning the cyclical demise of Māori and Pasifika communities ensuing from NZ authorities’s failure to deal with underlying and ongoing poverty, deprivation and lack of schooling.
While many scenes may have copied the frenetic environment that we’re accustomed to when watching medical exhibits reminiscent of ER, Polata’ivao’s directorial selections are the exact opposite, selecting to infiltrate our psyche with the utmost subtlety. It is that this mild contact that makes us as viewers members sit up and pay attention to the robust messaging that’s being unravelled all through the manufacturing.
Kudos goes to Filament Eleven 11’s manufacturing designers Rachel Marlow and Bradley Gledhill whose set and lighting have been an absolute triumph. Without giving an excessive amount of away, it was the simplicity of the set that allowed the lighting to create a depth of subject that created a magical dimension on what may have been a really sterile palette. It can be remiss to not point out the Poulima Salima’s backbone chilling music, alongside Matt Eller’s equally dramatic sound design, the “machine that goes ping” made well-known by Monty Python was additionally very a lot in proof.
The numerous solid, each ethnically and by way of age and expertise, is refreshing and nice to see at Auckland’s Waterfront Theatre. Watching the likes of the doyenne of theatre Donogh Rees (Raza Beckman), alongside stalwarts like David Aston (Simon/Matheson) and Johnson in motion was an absolute deal with. Ian Hughes (Rafal Beckman), Nicola Kāwana (Carol), Stacey Leilua (Ana/Tiara) and Semu Filipo (Sol/Chris) additionally gave standout performances.
Case research regarding three completely different sufferers have been cleverly used to weave medical dilemmas, tough selections, cultural sensitivities and the tragedy of demise and loss collectively into the narrative.
The scene that the majority efficiently displayed these themes was the bickering between an Asian physician Edie (Jen Huang) and the Samoan employees member performed by Leilua. We witness how language and the dearth of rigorously expressed viewpoints can simply escalate and reveal pre-existing prejudices in addition to misunderstandings when coping with multicultural sufferers. A couple of extra equally meaty scenes like this one would have added much more gravitas to this already stellar manufacturing.
Dr Beckman’s crew itself is a typical microcosm of Aotearoa’s society enabling additional explorations of problems with racial prejudice, non secular beliefs, questionable judgement, insane working hours, and dedication to the Hippocratic Oath. But regardless of the inanely dangerous bureaucratic cost-cutting selections, the care, kindness, and integrity of the medical employees nonetheless manages to shine via.
Political indifference is cleverly personified by the Minister of Health – seemingly extra serious about what’s “saleable” or “sexy” than actually addressing the foundation of the issue.
While it was extremely attention-grabbing seeing the lead character Rafal Beckman’s life as a health care provider artfully contrasted with tender tales about his Polish-Jewish household, in a second storyline, it was tough to see how such disparate plots may gel with each other. Although poignant, at occasions it felt just like the backstory of the Beckmans’ ancestry diverted from the healthcare storyline. While each are greater than worthy topics to be tackled, it was unclear how they have been linked. Despite some initially welcomed mild aid that the story of the Beckmans supplied (notably from the superbly unpleasant Judith (Margaret-Mary Hollins), that plotline slowly however certainly morphed right into a horrific tragedy in itself.
Things that Matter is a crucial, informative, entertaining present that undoubtedly must be seen extensively. There isn’t any ‘bedpan’ humour or Carry On Doctor schtick right here, however a critical and diligent try to discover essential societal themes that reach past the rapid and apparent well being crises in Aotearoa.
As with many opening nights, the primary half felt a bit of bit lengthy particularly contemplating the bombardment of details, tragedies, relationships, politics and backstories we have been initially subjected to. However, the second half was most satisfying – by the point we have been ‘discharged’ it was clear that the ‘caring profession’ certainly has people who do care. And regardless of all of it human kindness can typically, however not at all times, triumph when confronted with probably the most tough of circumstances.
This present is probably overambitious in its scope of points to debate, however by no means does that diminish its significance. There clearly is an abundance of subject material for Henderson to mine from Galler’s memoir. Personally we stay up for and would like to see a complementary present very quickly. ATC, please produce Everything Else that Matters immediately.
Things That Matter performs ASB Waterfront Theatre Twelfth-Twenty seventh August 2023