2:20AM Reviews and audience feedback
REVIEWS: Theatre People ★★★★ …a beautifully powerful new work that goes beyond the loss of a loved one and into the lives of those struggling to understand why …four extremely believable characters who carry the subject with incredible warmth and depth…individually these are terrific actors, but together, as an ensemble, they are outstanding…each scene rings true…there are many terrific moments …each scene is restrained in its emotion, there is nothing forced, nothing contrived. …it all works in complete harmony …lighting design…and emotive soundscape is used to great effect 2:20am is important theatre. I could easily see this as a touring show – perhaps regional where suicide prevention is very much needed…a beautifully crafted piece on such a sensitive and often silent subject.
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
My Melbourne Arts …strong work from the talented ensemble…as they build authentic relationships between their characters… Yena…a highlight…with the freshness and energy that she brings… Treloar finds a sensitive and reflective side to male grief that thankfully doesn't resort to shouting. Kudos to Lister for not only making Dave a man who isn't afraid to share his emotions with other men but for allowing it to be normal. Davis' Trish is a mix of fragility and frustration…EllertonAshley evokes a calm and soothing persona as Emma… Lister's exploration…never has its audience feeling overwhelmed with dread and grief. Despite the seriousness of the issue, there are lovely, light-hearted moments littered throughout the show… There is a beautiful simplicity and bareness to the script and stage design … With its heartfelt humour and honest writing, Lister has produced a thoughtful and touching reflection on how the living keep on going after those closest to them have ended their lives. 2:20am lingers in your mind but not in a dark and heavy way. It's more a reinforcement and reminder to be aware of the people in your life and to make sure they know you care.
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
The Plus Ones As the popular saying goes suicide is something that happens to other people. The characters in this play are very ordinary, everyday people just as you will see at any memorial. In 2:20AM, it’s the character’s ordinary struggle and pain which makes their stories all the more watchable and relatable. The play text deftly gives witness to the range of reactions suicide brings… (It) sits in a positive space, allowing the vibrancy of the human spirit to allow the characters to unite in their alienation, to find community within this newly defined state that pits them in a struggle to live and live well. This cast brings an energetic authenticity to their portrayals… There’s a lot to laugh about in the script and the actors relish these buoyant moments, giving us the levity that is so frequently found in dark places.
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
be Melbourne It's not easy to move an audience and draw you into the characters' lives but 2.20AM does exactly that. Opening with the four main characters, which are brilliantly acted‌we get to experience a range of emotions that both challenge and teach us about the difficulties of life after being affected by a suicide. Painful at moments, the show is a real and frank conversation on life, survival skills and grief and gives in equal measure quality theatre with great performances and a dose of laughter - with a healthy reality check to go along with it.
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK: •
…a great piece of theatre, well written, well played, and obviously produced with much care and attention. …The play is powerful …Go see it, if you can. Pre-pardon the puns ... It won't do a Neil Young on you (bring you down). Quite the opposite. Greg, audience member (bereaved)
•
Don't miss this! You might cry, you'll probably laugh, you'll certainly be moved by the courage and vulnerability of these characters as they struggle to make sense of their lives. Highly recommend it. Penny, audience member (bereaved)
•
Congratulations everyone on a great show. I loved the acting the staging the script. Everything really despite the fact that I am very hard to please. I am so grateful that you choose to make work that matters, that is true, that is worth hearing. Cause you know what? Doesn’t happen so much. Michael, audience member
•
Love that final shot…exiting into the world - that's where the hardest moments are...but having known what you've got through as a group, you know you’re not alone and can make it if you think of such groups when you feel challenged. A great stage moment and image thank you. Sass, audience member
•
I saw this play last night and was surprised at how immersed and invested i became in these characters and their journey. Brilliant writing and acting. Leaving it, I felt it opened up a resistance our culture has to understanding the confusion and vulnerability of the grief process: and so we miss the connection, humour and redemption that comes when we're brave enough to be raw and honest about it. This play does that so well. Go see it this week. Bronwyn, audience member
•
Saw this play last night. Excellent. Funny word to use “play” - I never felt like it was a play - it felt, hurt, surprising, funny and very true. Whether you have been touched by the subject or not I recommended it to you. Rebecca Lister and the artists have it exactly right. Annemarie, audience member.
•
Your show and the superb cast was so engaging…and I nearly cried at least a coupe of times. Libby, audience member
•
Oh my how your play blew my socks off. It was brilliant in so many ways. Absolutely top rate acting, and such an amazing script. I can’t
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
believe that such a sensitive topic could be explored so well at so many levels. Not a note off. Perfect. Sarah, audience member •
It was wonderful. Uplifting and moving, i laughed and cried both. Beautifully written and staged, Michael Treloar shows his wonderful depth and insight, subtlety, truth and humour, as grieving dad. And there were so many relatable scenes. ‘All the trite things people say‘ was great!. I loved the scene ‘do you think this helps or make things worse’ - because that is a very good question. Ultimately, lifting the silence is liberating - and finding different ways of moving on - and revisiting the grief as and when one needs to. This play offers all these possibilities. Wonderful, thank you. Xxx Rebecca, audience member
•
Hallie Shellam has directed a very beautiful piece of theatre called 2:20 am written by Rebecca Lister (Anvil Productions)…It examines the stories of 4 people bereaved by suicide who form a reluctant friendship at a local writers group and came out of a program that Rebecca ran through Jesuit Social Services Support After Suicide, Australia program. As a society we find it so hard to talk about death and make space for grief whether it's our own or that of others. One of the great strengths of the work is that it artfully examines this with the extra layer of complexity that comes with death by suicide. It is profound, sad, moving and funny; raw and necessary theatre. After receiving a number of rejections from media outlets who said "no this is not for us" when approached to run something about the show, The Conversation Hour on ABC Melbourne ran an hour long interview last Friday. Declan, audience member
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
•
(the) play really was wonderful! It was so clever the way you wove writing and pedagogy into the story of grief; the way you explored and shattered the taboo of suicide; and the way you empathised so deeply with those left behind. The acting was…superb. I was brought to tears repeatedly. It really resonated with me as a client of mine recently suicided and I’ve been very sad. Supervision has been helpful. Your play really spoke to me! Thank you again. Petra, audience member
•
…it was a fabulous play. I think I was a bit shell shocked afterwards as of course it brought back the experience of…who self harmed so frequently and brutally right up until she died…I know the stats n schizopherenia and suicide. You are an inspiration to us all about managing life’s joys and traumas. Thanks for a great play. Gen, audience member
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
•
You have written a wonderful play. It is the work of a skilled writer: perfectly judged, with the right weight and tone for the subject, no sentimentality or easy answers or false hope, but not too bleak either. It's a play about death that made me feel fully alive. It was a remarkable experience to be in the theatre and watch your story unfold. James audience member
•
I loved your play. It was - word-perfect. The characters and their stories had a quality of truth. I suspended disbelief from the moment Dave started to talk, not always an easy thing to do at the theatre. It was such an eloquent way to encapsulate the loss and disbelief and struggle. May, audience member
•
Congratulations on your play, 2.20am! The topic suicide was sensitively handled and powerful at the same time. I loved the way the characters developed and slowly found themselves amidst their grief. Best wishes and keep up your amazing work. Anne, audience member
•
I thought the play was really moving and powerful and the actors were very impressive. Loved the scene where they were sending up all the trite statements that are made. Each character was developed really well. It must have been incredibly challenging producing it, writing it and of course, living it. I'm very glad I saw it. Delia, audience member
•
Congratulations to you both on an interesting and moving show last night. Powerful stories, strong performances, and deft direction. I thought Dave was outstanding. His ‘awkward’ monologue was a highlight. All the best with the rest of the run. And for further seasons. Paul, audience member.
•
…I wanted to drop you a line and congratulate you on 2.20am. I’ve been able to sit with it for a day now and reflect on it more broadly. I have to say, it is a mightily impressive piece of work. Touching without being mawkish, with humour than lands perfectly at exactly the right moments to relieve the tension. It was also fantastic to see a male character’s grief written and performed with such accuracy. I found Michael’s portrayal of Dave was outstanding. He could have done monologues all night for me. All of the performances were incredible, revealing the talent of the actors and the director.The feedback from bereaved people speaks of the authenticity of the emotions and behavior of the characters, which is entirely because its all grounded in reality. The play was so well observed and constructed with such skill. It is a testament to your abilities as a playwright and a valuable contribution to the field of bereavement. Congratulations! Claire, audience member
•
I'm so glad we came along to your play last night - I love the theatre but with the topic of the play, thought I might come away feeling sad
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
and depressed - which I didn't and the play touched on emotions and issues I think we all go through (whether or not we have lost a family member to suicide) - and just humanity. Bronwyn, audience member •
I really loved the play! Beautiful writing, the acting was incredibly nuanced and I truly hope it has another life after this season! Congrats. So many congratulations. It's an important piece. Eleanor, audience member
•
… to say how good we thought 2.20am was. It was very thought provoking and I was taken on an exploration of a very serious place. I might not have had the guts to go to without direction. Thank you for making my life the richer for it. Sarah, audience member
•
…I was so pleased to be able to come on Friday night. I was thinking afterwards how fantastic it is that you will reach more people/communities through this play - it's actually the writing group that keeps on giving, because you have re-packaged or captured all of the things were so special within the intimacy of the writing group journey, into a format that can be shared and experienced widely. That is very clever. And congratulations on it being such a success. My director at work was very disappointed she missed the play. She lost a close friend to suicide 20 years ago, and we often have conversations on this subject. I have told her that the plan is to tour the play regionally, but I am not sure where that is at. Please keep us all updated! Alex, audience member (bereaved)
•
…I want to congratulate you on your play and the wider community discussion - it is an incredibly emotionally resonating piece of theatre. Fiona, audience member
•
… (I) Hope you and your team are on a high - I thought the play was amazingly powerful. Sally, audience member
•
This show made the most powerful use of the most simplistic elements of sound, light, word, touch and emotion. Thank you for taking our breath away and leaving us in anticipation of the conversations to follow when your show goes regional. Tess, audience member
•
… (the) play was so wonderful, so well written, so moving, so thought provoking, so beautiful. Thank You! Petra, audience member
•
Congratulations on your show. It was wonderful to see so many people engaged and interested in ongoing exploration and discussions around this theme. Kaarin, audience member
•
Congratulations. It’s a very strong and special work and obviously has a very talented team around it. Sian, audience member
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
•
Big congratulations again for the work tonight. I really loved it. Stella audience member
•
…the show was so moving and so well done. The writing, the casting, the performances, all so authentic. I feel blessed to have seen it and I wish I’d invited many more people to join us. Carole audience member
•
Congratulations on the shows. Lovely performances and writing. Quite lyrical. …Great to see a full house and a really enthusiastic audience. Nice work! I hope you are really delighted with how the season has gone. Jane audience member.
•
…well done with the show. Really enjoyed it. To be honest when it started I thought I’ve been to these classes/sessions and I don’t really feel like seeing a show about that process. But it wasn’t and it continued to draw me in right til the end. The writing, the emotion and the humour and of course the cast were all fantastic. Great work. Congratulations. Andrew, audience member
•
Beautiful and honest and fantastic performances. I really enjoyed the intimate setting too. Conor, audience member
•
Brilliant brilliant brilliant! I was so impressed. Loved the story, loved the performances. Just what I needed. Strangely it is so hard to find people who understand grief and want to share. Adela, audience member
•
…wanted to tell you just how much we enjoyed Sunday’s performance. It was truly inspirational. My friend…, who was with me, has had personal experience with suicide in her family. She agreed with every aspect presented. Monika, audience member
•
We saw your play last night, just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. Very thought provoking. It was so well scripted and everyone was fantastic. So awesome to see such fabulous well crafted actors instead of most of the crap on TV! Roberta, audience member
•
Absolutely fabulous show. We were totally enthralled. A beautifully written and acted piece. Nicky and Terry, audience member
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018
2:20 AM Reviews & Quotes, Richmond Season 2018