Aware: The Clock Ticks As Time Stands Still ~ Adelaide Fringe 2023 Review      

[THEATER AND PHYSICAL THEATRE/Theatre ~ SA PREMIERE ~ SA] Theatre at Brighton Performing Arts Centre, Fri 10 Mar, 2023. With an average age of eighty-three, this company really walks the walk, and with only one walking frame in sight. They are proof positive that age is no barrier to joyful movement. There’s not a whole lot of talk though, apart from some segments quoting peoples’ lived experiences. In-between the live musical accompaniment there are plenty of silences, allowing the audience to absorb the action sometimes happening in multiple stage areas. Several catchy songs provide bright vehicles for this collected wisdom about how to defy and deal with the forces of ageism. Lyrics like, “Here I am, with so much to give,” and. “I’m still here!” get the audience singing along. It's great to see community theatre going strong, and being made from the ground up by the people who care most about these issues. The thread of a story follows the usual ageing process, as we celebrate each decade passing with birthday parties. But the cake has not been baked to handle that required number of candles! When they give it their best shot, we wonder whether the theatre is going to burn down. This show affirms how the twilight years need not mean fading out, but rather proactively taking charge of change. The difficulties faced by seniors are spelled out well: the presumptions made by others, especially the young; the indignities, the isolation, being ignored when you want to order or get some service…the list is as long as people are living now. When ladies go shopping to choose bright, colourful clothes, dull, drab clothes choose them instead. A puppet piece is particularly poignant, with a homeless old man struggling to be seen and heard as the world rushes around him. We watch him disappear gradually under the layers of cobwebs that cover him until he is all but invisible. At a time in life where you can hear the clock ticking loudly, the paradox is that time also seems to stand still. To create such moments in theatre is a credit to this happy band. They nurture the grass roots and ensure that, like perennial flowers, they keep growing and blooming through the seasons. Presented by: Vintage Creative Therapies 3.5 stars David Cronin Aware continues at Theatre at Brighton Performing Arts Centre, at various times, until Sat 11 Mar. Book at FringeTIX and adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #Clothesline_Mag #ADLfringe