Reviewed by Petra Schulenburg, Tuesday 6th March, 2018.
Written and performed by Joanne Hartstone,
That Daring Australian Girl is the extraordinary true story of Muriel Matters, an Adelaide-born actress, who became one of the leading figures of the UK's Suffragette movement.
To quote Muriel in the play, "Art is my magic weapon" but "To what end?" you might ask. To say that Muriel Matters was a woman ahead of her time would be an understatement. She was a trained musician, an elocutionist, an actress, a journalist, an adventurer, an agitator, a prisoner, an aviator, a teacher, and a lecturer but, above all, she was a woman of spirit, courage, and conviction.
The result of four years of research, the script for That Daring Australian Girl was written by Hartstone in collaboration with director and friend Nicholas Collett. British director, Collett, has given us a tight production that pushes his actor hard, gleaning every opportunity to show us who Muriel is, what she stands for and what she is made of, her strength and conviction as well as her vulnerabilities.
Muriel's force of will and energy are embodied completely in Joanne Hartstone's performance, bringing enormous passion and energy to her portrayal of Muriel. Her enthusiasm for her character is palpable. Her fierce determination in the face of unfairness and inequality rings true in every impassioned speech. She even sings beautifully. There are, in fact, strong parallels between Matters and Hartstone, who is herself a multi-award winning Adelaide actor, singer, writer, director, theatre producer, artistic director, and teacher.
The production was designed by Tom Kitney. Set, lighting, music, and soundscape all working together to transport the audience through time and space. Both versatile and practical, there was not an extraneous item of set or costume on stage, with many used multiple times to carry us from Adelaide to London's parlours and concert hall stages, from White Star Line ships, to squalid London streets, to women's rallies, parliament, and a tiny cell in Holloway prison. A simple wooden trunk doubles as a horse-drawn cart as well as an air balloon, a lampshade, and as a megaphone. This is what theatre and imagination are all about.
Similarly, the costumes, designed by Nikki Fort, were not only beautiful but adaptable and practical for fluid changes, enabling us to accompany Muriel on her journey uninterrupted.
That Daring Australian Girl is a wonderful play and tribute to an extraordinary woman. At the end, the audience left the theatre inspired and in awe, both of Muriel Matters and Joanne Hartstone, who has proven to her audience that, without question, "Muriel still matters!"
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