My Dearworthy Darling

The Rabble’s new production, My Dearworthy Darling, is a mythic exploration of modern life and the sacrifices we make in order to fit the status quo, miserable as that might make us.

Jennifer Vuletic plays a woman slowly losing grip on reality – not in the sense that she has gone "mad", though her husband and sister certainly believe her to be, but rather she is losing the suction that keeps her glued to “normal” ways of being. As Vuletic gives Shakespearean monologues about the nature of existence, time and reality, and eats pasta with her hands at a fancy restaurant, her husband and sister break the tension by giving short monologues about the annoyances of everyday life, such as customers at work being “fucking fucks”. Ben Grant and Natalie Gamsu, who play the husband and sister respectively, have wonderful comedic timing. They describe everyday grievances which are so relatable, yet so irrelevant and small when compared to the existentialism streaming from Vuletic. You can’t help but laugh – laugh at them, at yourself and at everyone you know who complains about similar things.

Soon the action moves to another realm, part 14th century, part total myth, to which Vuletic slowly but surely gives herself entirely. The climax of the show, which sees the protagonist leave our modern reality and embody the otherworldly, goddess-like being she is being pushed to become, is sensational.

This show feels both like visual, static art come to life – like a painting that keeps moving and shifting – and a poem with visual action. Alison Croggon’s writing is superb, a powerful mix of contemporary dialogue and literary prose. Though the action takes a moment to get going, beginning with a marital dispute we have all seen before, once the mythology of the play kicks in, the show takes on another life.

Everything in this show is grander than it seems in the beginning. The set, seemingly sparse, becomes majestic through the lighting design; the sound design, which initially feels like a nice addition to the general feel, soon become integral to the storytelling and builds into a crescendo like no other. Emma Valente, who directed the show, composed the music, and designed the lighting and soundscapes, is a force.

My Dearworthy Darling is an interesting work of myth-making. It is a show for anyone who is into highly aestheticised theatre, myth and existentialism. It’s indie theatre at its best.