Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 3rd April, 2025.
Phil Olson’s 2013 comedy, Mum’s Gift (originally Mom’s Gift), is directed by Lucy Johnson for The Therry Dramatic Society. As a first-time director, she could have benefited from working with a more experienced director. The pace was not always there, and much of the time we saw actors acting, rather than the characters. There was also some rather awkward movement, and far too much of it, particularly clumsy when several people had to enter from the kitchen together. That can be largely blamed on the set design which had a table and chairs blocking that entrance, and rather bulky furniture elsewhere, restricting the playing area and making movement difficult. It is, though, well-lit by Richard Parkhill who seems to be almost omnipresent around the Adelaide theatre scene. Hopefully, the characters will become more fully developed as the run continues.
This play draws on a theme that has been around for many decades, the ghost with a mission to earn their wings. I only recently happened to watch those old Topper films from the late 1930s, with Constance Bennett and Cary Grant as the ghosts of George and Marion Kerby, making life difficult for Roland Young as Cosmo Topper. Blithe Spirit is another, with everybody thinking Charles is going mad as they only hear his side of the conversations with his deceased first wife, Elvira, and, of course, Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life. Although not a comedy, even Shakespeare had Hamlet’s father hanging about, and Banquo making a return appearance, only visible to Macbeth.
Mum is at Dad’s sixtieth birthday party. There’s nothing unusual in that, under normal circumstances, of course. The only problem is that she died eleven months ago. Making things even more awkward, her eldest daughter, Kat, can see and hear her, but nobody else is aware of her presence. Kat, who hasn’t spoken to her father since the car accident that killed her mother, when he was driving, is only there because of a court order forcing her to spend his birthday with him as part of her anger management therapy. The fact that the crash was caused by a drunk driver doesn’t stop her blaming Dad. Kat is singularly unimpressed at the added difficulty to the day caused by Mum dropping in.
Kat is not what might be termed ‘family friendly’. She is suspicious of Trish, her father’s new girlfriend. She thinks her sister, Brittney, is vacuous, and Dad’s favourite. The unexpected arrival of Kevin, the boy on whom she had a crush back in her schooldays, does nothing to help simplify the situation, particularly as Mum doesn’t seem to know exactly what she is supposed to do to enable her to move on. She comes up with four possibilities but doesn’t know which is the right one, or exactly what has to be done about the various situations. It does not bode well for Dad to have a Happy Birthday.
When Kat first arrives at the door, she is questioned by the offstage voice of a nosey, and highly inappropriate old neighbour, Mrs Norquist, who greets and interrogates several of the visitors as they arrive; a fun cameo for Angela Short.
Portraying the uninvited invisible guest at the party, Katie Packer gives a lively performance as Mum, the catalyst for much of what happens during the play. The time limit of having just that day for Mum to win her wings ensures that she keeps the pressure on Kat, giving Packer and Jessica Corrie the chance for some very funny interchanges.
Jessica Corrie, as Kat, conveys a wide range of emotional turmoil as she tries to control her anger towards Dad, as well as dealing with the various influences of all of the others around her, pulling her in all directions. The impact of gradually revealed family secrets gives Corrie plenty of scope to explore her character.
Zoe Battersby plays the bimbo, Brittney, who seemingly doesn’t have a single intelligent thought in her head. When writing about younger performers, critics sometimes suggest that they show potential. In this case, that is not appropriate. That potential has already been realised. Battersby gives a very mature performance, passing for well over her real age, portraying Brittney with lots of energy and fine comic timing. Keep an eye on her career.
Dad is played by Rodney Hrvatin, creating a man caught in mixed emotions, still blaming himself for an accident that was not his fault, falling for his girlfriend, happy to see his estranged daughter, then traumatised when discovering why she is there, missing his deceased wife, worried about his younger daughter’s relationship, and more. It’s a great role for an actor.
Jenny Allard plays Trish, Dad’s intelligent and stylish, somewhat younger girlfriend. Trish has her own secret, that is revealed late in the play, but in the early part is calm, and efficient, and helps Dad hold it all together. Allard brings out the depth in her character when Trish has to explain what she has been hiding.
Paul Pacillo plays Kevin, the long-time secret object of Kat’s affection who, when not heading offstage, to catch up on the sport on TV, engages in a ‘will they, won’t they get together’ interplay with Kat. Pacillo’s best moments come when Kevin and Kat are alone together. He and Corrie have a good rapport and find both the comedy and tenderness that runs through their encounters.
There are some great one-liners in this play, with clever, comical situations, quirky characters, relationships fraught with difficulties, and some nicely poignant moments. Will Mum get her wings? There’s only one way to find out.
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