Fringe review: That Boy
After infant Tom pushed a little girl because he didnât want to be hugged, âhe became That Boyâ, his mother recalls, âand I became That Mother.â Martha Lott powerfully describes the lonely challenges of parenting a turbulent child when everyone else has given up. â â â â
Sarah has two children â Hannah and Tom. Hannah, the older of the two, is easy-going and amenable. Tom, 8, âis kind of like⊠the Energiser Bunny meets Tassie the Devilâ, says his mum.
She hastens to add â he is lovable and bright and loves to climb. On roofs and windmills and especially trees. In trees he feels safe when he is anxious. He also feels safe (and emotionally forthcoming) when he has his plush toy Monkey close by.
Many families deal with such behaviour management issues and struggle to keep on top of things. Sarah takes Tom to doctors for testing and assessments. But he is not declared âon the spectrumâ or given any definitive diagnosis. By some grimly absurd logic that makes him ineligible for funded support.
In its premiere Fringe season at Holden Street Theatres, That Boy takes us into one crowded hour of Tomâs life. It is a graphic and detailed account of the routines and strategies a solo mother uses to manage an unpredictable child.
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The staging is as simple as it is compelling. Meg Wilsonâs raised platform set (warmly lit by Jordan Scheer)Â presents the complete chaos of a childâs bedroom in all its multi-coloured detail. Two model palm trees stand by the bed, stacks of bright red storage boxes, toys, games and discarded clothes cover the entire floor. A large Lego mat barely contains the bits and odds and ends of a profusion of playthings.
Director Yasmin Gurreeboo keeps the narrative close in and the emotion intense, but measured â making the motherâs anguish more poignant. Sascha Budimskiâs sound design subtly underscores the action.
It is then the task of Martha Lott to bring this story of love, desperation and persistence into sharp relief. For the full duration of the monologue, Lottâs Sarah is doing what all mothers (and many dads) do. She is tidying Tomâs room as if to re-order his life. Putting things back where they belong, folding clothes, repacking games, reorganising toys and endlessly raking up Lego.
This play covers difficult issues of parental resentment and guilt, of social ostracism, self-harm and suicidal impulse. Lottâs excellent performance â as Sarah steadily coaches herself to be positive, constant and hopeful â is startling in its directness and quiet despair. It is a portrait of courage and devotion, and a lesson in how to tidy a room in 58 minutes.
That Boy is playing at Holden Street Theatres until March 21.
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