Hanna
Clarkson Studio
Regent Theatre
Saturday, March 18.
From the beginning, Hanna emphasises her own ordinariness. She lives in an ordinary house, wears the clothes of an ordinary New Zealand woman in her twenties (linen shirt, jeans and sneakers), appears to have ordinary attitudes to just about everything, and becomes pregnant in an unplanned but ordinary way.
Extraordinary things can happen to anyone, however, and three years after Ellie’s birth Hanna learns that something unthinkable has happened: an unintentional but culpable baby-swap at the maternity hospital during a routine procedure.
After that discovery, the other parents make contact and, for a time, things seem to go well, but gradually ethnic and social class inequalities between the two households exacerbate tensions and misunderstandings.
Events move fast and lead Hanna to irrational decisions and behaviour endangering her own and Ellie’s lives.
The script, by Sam Potter, sometimes seems unnecessarily wordy, especially early in the play, but it vividly and sensitively personalises the nature-nurture debate - which is the stronger bond, birth or upbringing?
A 90-minute solo show is hugely challenging, so performer Cassandra Woodhouse has a formidable task.
While audience engagement is good, delivery seems intended for a larger theatre, and could be toned down to suit the Clarkson’s more intimate space.
Some slower, quieter passages would provide contrast to the mostly frantic tone and pace.
Overall, Hanna provides a sympathetic and psychologically complex portrayal of an ordinary person in a crisis, and a very satisfying affirmation of the importance of love.
Thanks are due to director Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Woodhouse, the New Zealand Theatre Company and Arts on Tour for bringing this absorbing production to Dunedin as part of a nationwide tour.
Saturday night’s audience (about 35 people) was highly appreciative.
