The Weekend at Belvoir Street Theatre - Review

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Sat 05 Aug 2023 - Sun 10 Sep 2023

The Weekend is a heartwarming, poignant and funny story of love and loss, growing old, the wisdom of age, memories and the part that friendship plays throughout our lives.

Belvoir Street Theatre's stage production of The Weekend is an adaptation of the wonderful novel written by Charlotte Wood. It tells the story of three women in their "crone years" who gather together to clean out the beach house of a lifelong friend who has recently died. As they sort through the contents of the house, they are faced with the past and need to decide what to keep and what to throw out, both in terms of things and relationships. Her death forces them to examine their lives, their friendship and their future.



The three women have known each other since childhood and enjoy that special bond that lifelong friends share. They challenge each other, annoy each other, cry together and laugh together as they recall their carefree youth, hopes and dreams and lament their different losses.

Belinda Giblin (Adele), Toni Scanlan (Jude) and Melita Jurisic (Wendy) are outstanding in their portrayal of friends, their individual stories captivating the audience and evoking in each of our memories of childhood friendships that stay with us for life.



Sitting and observing the friends from the sideline is Finn, Wendy's old dog who is suffering from dementia and wavering between life and death. Though Finn is a puppet, he is played with great empathy by puppeteer Keila Terencio who manages to make him as real as the other actors on the stage. His presence and purpose is quiet yet profound.

The Weekend traverses many topics that preoccupy us as we grow older and reflect on our lives, our truths and our secrets. There is something in the story that will touch every member of the audience. It is a brilliant production that cleverly examines mortality, loss and love and reminds us of the importance of friends and the ability of true friendship to endure life's ups and downs.

The Weekend is showing at Belvoir Street Theatre until 10 September 2023.

More information about the production, performance times and tickets can be found here .



CAST
Roman Delo - Joe Gillespie & Others
Belinda Giblin - Adele
Melita Jurisic - Wendy
Toni Scanlan - Jude
Keila Terencio - Puppeteer
CREATIVES
Original Author - Charlotte Wood
Adapter - Sue Smith
Director - Sarah Goodes
Design - Stephen Curtis
Costume Designer - Ella Butler
Lighting Designer - Damien Cooper
Composer - Steve Francis
Sound Designer - Madeleine Picard
Puppetry & Movement Director - Alice Osborne
Choreographer - Charmene Yap
AV Design - Susie Henderson
Dramaturg - Ruth Little
Assistant Director - Abbie-Lee Lewis
Stage Manager - Luke McGettigan
Assistant Stage Manager - Mia Kanzaki

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!date -5/08/2023 -- 10/09/2023