Jennifer Ward-Lealand delivers an exceptional performance as the devoted wife of real-life husband, Michael Hurst in Matthew Seager’s award-winning play, In Other Words. A thoroughly entrancing and emotionally stirring evening at Auckland’s Q Theatre.
Seager’s play, first written when he was a 20-something research student working with Alzheimer’s patients, was inspired by how even the most advanced victims of the disease responded to music, especially songs they had loved when they were young. Though they often couldn’t recognize loved ones, they would often stand and sing along, most notably to Frank Sinatra’s My Way. The play went through many iterations before making it to the London stage in 2017 and continues to evolve.
It has finally made its way to Auckland, where it has married itself to the husband-wife team of Hurst and Lealand-Ward. The pair also codirect with Callum Brodie.
Hurst and Ward-Lealand play Arthur and Jane. We meet them in their cosy lounge, with Jane gingerly trying to get Arthur’s feet into his slippers, while he fusses, confused. Then they cross ‘the room’ and he stumbles into her, spilling her red wine all over her shirt. He apologises profusely, fumbling for words. But then, we realise this is the day they met, all those years ago and Arthur is a goofy laid-back young man pursuing the slightly prim and proper Jane. They bond over Frank Sinatra crooning Fly Me to the Moon. Then Arthur breaks the 4th Wall and addresses the audience; he wants us to know it all.
In a series of tiny vignettes, small moments, we relive their marriage. Joy. Love. Lost keys. Bad jokes. Forgotten errands. Laughter. Fly Me to the Moon. Crappy singing. Doctors. Diagnosis. Fly Me to the Moon. It is Arthur’s journey, with Jane his copilot, supporter, enabler and witness. His journey – her suffering, both terrified of the unknown that awaits.
Hurst gives a fine performance as the declining Arthur, but Ward-Lealand absolutely shines as Jane. She brings such depth and subtle nuance to her performance as the loving wife blind-sided by what is happening to her husband. She is much more than believable, she feels real. Caring, frustrated, afraid, loving, a woman of strength now helpless.
Yes, In Other Words, is a play focusing on the realities of Alzheimer’s. But this is not another paean to the disease of the moment. It’s an homage to everyone who has found themselves bound up to a loved one’s crisis, be it disease, mental illness, addiction or profound grief. And we’ve all been there.
In Other Words is playing at Q Theatre through 15 September. Tickets are available HERE.
Veronica McLaughlin
