The Testament Of Mary (STC)

The stage lights lift to reveal a classical figure of the Virgin Mary: polished, draped in blue and shimmering gold, sweetly cradling a lamb. For a moment you could be fooled into thinking it was a statue, until the woman begins to move and casts off the veneer that encases her, shaking off false hands, a false face and the robes that swamp her wiry frame, revealing a dressed-down, living person facing off the audience. This isn't a nativity character, this is a human being.

The Testament Of Mary couldn't have opened more poignantly. This emotive one-woman show demystifies the iconography surrounding one of the world's most pervading, yet enigmatic religious figures. It allows her to talk about her experiences intimately and personally – a complete characterisation rarely afforded to the women mentioned in the literature of Abrahamic religions.

Some time after her son's crucifixion, Mary is relentlessly hounded by visitors who implore her to validate their version of events, their version of the man they call a Messiah. But she will not coddle them. The insistence that her son's suffering was to the benefit of mankind is little consolation for a grieving mother. She will tell her story on her own terms.

The Sydney Theatre Company brings this bold production to the Australian stage following critical acclaim and polarising responses worldwide. The 2013 Broadway production was shut down two weeks into a scheduled 12-week run following protests from The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family & Property, who deemed it "blasphemous".

Helpmann Award-winning actor Alison Whyte exudes a commanding presence in the role of Mary, providing an empathetic take on Irish novelist Colm Toibin's script. The design work from Elizabeth Gadsby borrows from classical religious imagery, the grand paintings and stained glass artworks that adorn cathedrals and art gallery walls. There are also elements of a makeshift shrine, reminiscent of the devotional alcoves common in Latin America. But in line with the way this characterisation of Mary casts aside the superficial image of who and what she is, the grander elements of her costume are left strewn over the stage floor.

However, these themes are carried on in Whyte's stripped-back performance, her movements taking cues from Catholic imagery and traditional Greek theatre, taking advantage of the 'in the round' staging set-up. She does justice to her reputation, tapping into deep reserves of empathy, portraying a weary and at times cheeky everywoman who could be anyone's mum.

The intensive sound and lighting design takes highest importance in setting the tone for this production. Max Lyandvert's music and soundscapes pinpoint emotions, conflicts and tensions, giving tangibility to the ambiguous sensations of the piece, and life to the clambering crowd at the crucifixion. The lighting design from Emma Valente expertly choreographs illumination and pitch-blackness, absorbing the audience into these transitions. Imara Savage's direction intuitively ties together these elements with Whyte's powerhouse performance.

This is a production that demands close attention to each constituent element. A strong bank of Catholic or Christian knowledge (or a friend who possesses either to debrief with over drinks afterwards) would be helpful, but not strictly necessary.

This is a gripping demonstration of the power of monologue done right. As a secular person whose religious education has never extended much further than the scripture classes slotted into my public school syllabus, this play fleshed out to me something that I hadn't discovered previously; it breathes life and identity into its subjects.

The Testament Of Mary isn't anti-religious, it doesn't seek to discredit the existence of Jesus or Mary. But it gives voice and agency to someone who was diminished as a person as they were raised up as an icon. It challenges the details and the persisting fables and the result is deeply moving contemporary theatre.

Sydney Theatre Company presents The Testament Of Mary to 25 Feb, at Wharf 1 Theatre.