TW – sexual violence
The Good Dad (A Love Story) opens with a woman named Donna in prison, accused of a horrible crime. The gut-wrentching fifty minutes which follow attempt to trace how she ended up there.
In this solo show by playwright Gail Louw, the perspectives of Donna, her twin sister Carol, and their mother intertwine to tell a haunting story of family abuse at the hands of their aforementioned ‘good dad.’ Lead actress Sarah Lawrie transitions between the three characters so quickly that it may be hard for viewers to initially distinguish between them. The show’s set design and costuming is incredibly sparse, with just a few articles of clothing and a stool keeping Lawrie company on stage. The result is a stripped-down performance which highlights the brutality of its content.
The play maintains a frenetic pace throughout, mirroring the mental state of the family members and emphasizing the chaos and discomfort of the subject matter. This pace does threaten to overwhelm the audience at times; certain scenes would benefit from a longer breath between them, or a moment to process what has just occurred. The sound design felt too loud on occasions also, clashing with austere performances unfolding on stage.
The Good Dad is at its best when it gives Lawrie space to shine (and indeed, she does). She moves between confusion, rage, and grief in equal measure, encapsulating the complex emotions of the three main characters in a single facial expression. Her use of physical movement – nervous shaking, rubbing arms, fiddling with a cardigan – is impressive. Lawrie depicts these women with the empathy and honesty their story deserves. Her performance is a commendable feat.
It must be said that Fringe visitors looking for quick laughs should look elsewhere. The Good Dad’s Fringe profile warns viewers that it “contains distressing or potentially triggering themes” including “scenes of sexual violence.” These warnings should be taken very seriously, because The Good Dad does not shy away from explicit depictions of abuse. Playwright Louw’s presentation of this disturbing content is authentic, affecting, and difficult to watch. It is also incredibly worthwhile.
Above all, The Good Dad highlights the cyclical nature of violence, as every member of this family must struggle to come to terms with the behaviour of their patriarch; a so-called ‘good dad.’ Its inevitable conclusion does not feel cathartic so much as tragic. Trauma is destined to echo in the lives of these women, and their descendants, for decades to come.
The Good Dad (A Love Story) runs from August 4 to 26 (not 13) at 21:15 in Theatre 2 of theSpace @ Surgeons Hall. It is presented in support of the charity Victim Support. Tickets are avaliable for purchase here.
Image by Anne Koerber courtesy of Mobius Industries, provided to The Student as press material.