I’ll start by giving due credit to Metro Arts, Playlab and EG Production for bringing about Magpie to the Visy Theatre in Brisbane Powerhouse and playwright Elise Greig for writing this moving piece of theatre in the first place. What a show and what a final performance from the cast members. Final because I have been trying to be in the right place in the right time to see Magpie a few times now.
Luckily, my final chance to see the show, and not miss lock-out by precisely a minute like the previous time, was indeed the final performance at Brisbane Powerhouse. I can definitely say that I am very glad I managed to find a way to this performance and that it has a found a way to me, as it has evoked in me a sense of wonder and curiosity about the hidden culture and pain of the Romani people.
All elements of production worked together in unison to tell the a story of transgenerational pain felt by the Romani people. The set design worked to transform the space into a well lived in home that protagonist Mordecai ‘Magpie’ spent her childhood years. Mordecai, played expertly by Barbara Lowing, returns home after a negative review of her latest book in an attempt to uncover and rediscover her past and ultimately find a sense of understanding with her place in the world. Nothing is ever so straightforward as it seems, as Mordecai puts her father’s ashes in the trash can, swearing that he is a bastard, and begins to go through past belongings her Romani Father has left for her.
Piece by piece, Mordecai begins to unravel the true meaning of her past by sitting in her now empty childhood home and reading journals she wrote in her younger days. As she begins to read the journal entries her memories spring to life around her and the scene plays out for the audience. This is an excellent technique the Director/Dramaturg Ian Lawson has utilised. By remaining in the shoes of a grown up, protagonist Mordecai gets to visually represent being between two worlds as the characters around her reference her at a younger age while she remains her adult self.
It’s safe to say that growing up in Brisbane with Romani parents (Kathryn Marquet and Julian Curtis) that non stop argue in a language few can understand would have been a lonely existence but that’s where best friend Splinter, played by Michael Mandalios, comes in. Once acquainted with the quirky new kid on the block, Splinter gives Mordecai the nickname ‘Magpie’ and they begin a friendship like no other. Splinter sets out to solve the mystery of the murder of the man at the lighthouse found in a newspaper article inside Meshack’s (Curtis) wagon. From there it all intensifies as Lowing continues to represent her present self while diving into memories of her younger self, searching and trying to find answers for questions that have gone unanswered for many years.
It all reaches a climactic point when ‘Magpie’, much like the outsider bird of the same name, comes to terms with this othered feeling and why she has constantly been failing to understand Romani culture beyond primitive stereotypes. Maybe she led herself to believe the worst in her parents, particularly her Father, because it’s harder to accept the truth. Mordecai even references the Romani phrase “You are born with nothing and leave with nothing” and goes on to explain that a coin and a bit of bread is placed in the hand of a corpse for the journey ahead as part of cultural tradition.
Romani culture is not written down, there is an oral retelling of history that is passed onto generations. Nonetheless Mordecai wrote every detail of her earlier life in her journals. The final moments are the most haunting as Mordecai burns her belongings, essentially burning written evidence of her life and keeping what she does know close to her heart. This theatre piece is extraordinary and worth seeing by people of all ages and walks of life.
29 May - 8 June
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Joanna Letic