Dixon and Daughters

Anna Sokolova

Oct 3

3 min read

Old Fitz Theatre Sydney, 18 September - 3 October

@tinydogproductions

★★★★★

The review

Working class England.

An old woman, Mary (Vanessa Downing), small but firm, sharp-tongued, often with hardly squeezed lips, is back home, greeted by her two daughters, Bernie (Linda Nicholls-Gidley) and Julie (Romney Hamilton), and Bernie’s daughter Ella (Danette Potgieter). Despite all efforts to make a return happy, the reunion is not easy. It gets more unbalanced when her stepdaughter Briana (Sarah Jane Starr), who is banned by Mary from entering the place, is unapologetically storming in. And later, when all are joined by Leigh (Rylea Eilis), a homeless girl, a young hooker, the only creature to whom Mary shows somewhat gentle care. And finally, when the reason for Mary going to jail was revealed: she falsely testified in court to protect her (now deceased) husband, while Briana brought the truth to light.

Three generations, six women in a house, which once referred to their place as 'if this house can speak'. It does. Silent, it screams with confined rooms and each edge of the walls looks like they are broken, chewed off (two-level set design by Mia MacCormick with complex layered lighting by Topaz Marlay-Cole).

There is not much physically happening over two days in this play. Still, there is enormous inner evolution in feelings and emotions of processing, acceptance, forgiveness, connecting and distancing, blooming in each of these women, whose bond is not only by family but in a heavy past which traumatizing shadow is not leaving them alone.

Each actress is brilliant, and together they form a superb ensemble. As a perfect example of psychological theatre, each is brilliantly nuanced, keeping the tone, manners, and small gestures even in the background. No matter whom one looks at, watching the play, one will never notice falling out of a character.

Bernie is stoic; she is the uncrowned backbone of the family. Mary is harsh and rude, while deeply lost inside. Julie is screwed, childish and often drunk - a very hard thing to act convincingly. But Julie, pitiful and heartbreaking at the same time, was made spot on. Ella is young and beautiful but uncertain and shaky, discovering what her mother was fiercely protecting her from. Leigh, too young to be thrown to such a dirty side of life, experienced things too early for her age; hence, when can, catching up on being a cheeky teenager. Briana, confident but constantly stepping over her severe anxiety, exhausted but determined every step of the way, like a puppy wolf crossing a massive river stream - and winning not only for herself, but for all of them.

This play is about toxicity and the expectation of pushing under the rug everything about sexual abuse and violence inside a family. These women live in a double-edged hell, with no exaggeration: physical domestic violence, sexual abuse by a (step) father, harassment by a college professor, random clients for a way too young girl, and with that - a social pressure to keep it quiet, to bury it all behind the walls. “We are all good, and nothing happened” - an expectation that has been poisoning countless families, leaving women to fight or surrender on their own.

It is also about breaking this deadly circle, supporting and keeping going, suppressing sentiments but picking each other up just before a fall.

It is a heavy, beautiful, solid, complete work created by fierce, exceptionally talented, beautiful women, which was made to spread courage, to resonate, to empower, and succeeded in it.