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 Three actresses play six women each undergoing an explosive epiphany in Joanna Murray-Smith’s award-winning BOMBSHELLS. SEANNA VAN HELTEN chats to one of the production’s leading ladies, MICHELLE FORNASIER.
In the fallout of momentous crises or climaxes comes clarity, a premise that is comically explored in Perth Theatre Company’s touring production of Bombshells, by Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith (The Female Of The Species).
Bombshells is a suite of comedic monologues on the female condition, performed by three actors, Jenny Davis, Jenny McNae and Michelle Fornasier. “Each actor has two monologues and they’re about anywhere between fifteen and twenty minutes. The pieces are all about women and women’s stories, and at different stages of their lives,” says Brisbane born-and-raised actor Fornasier.
She defines “bombshells” as the little explosions that take place at significant periods of one’s life. “Each of the characters has some sort of turning point or realisation…whether they’re subtle or quite momentous,” Fornasier explains. The characters are all poised on the verge of discovery or transition: there’s an all-singing, all-dancing teenager at an eisteddfod, a bride-to-be, a stressed-out stay-at-home mum, a divorcee, a widow, and a diva making her stage comeback.
“I play the young bride,” says Fornasier. “Her dilemma is she’s not quite sure she’s made the right decision. And the other character I play is a mother of three. She’s just had a baby and…her little bombshell is realising this is it for quite some time!” Fornasier laughs. “But you know they’re all comedies,” she continues. “They are sketch characters. They are heightened everyday people. The situations are heightened. There’s a crisis point in the journeys that each of the characters go through that creates the drama.”
Plus, there are some big song-and-dance musical numbers, Fornasier explains, making the production a glitzy, entertaining night out at the theatre – and “bombshells” a nice pun on the roles of three vivacious leading ladies. “A lot of journalists ask, ‘Is it a chick’s play?’” Fornasier recalls. “It’s not that it’s dealing with women’s issues. The play is just placing females in theatrical situations. Men are very much part of that as well – but talked about rather than being there.”
Bombshells was originally created by Murray-Smith as a frenetic one-woman show for musical theatre powerhouse Caroline O’Connor. The solo production toured to United Kingdom, including shows in London and at the 2004 Edinburgh Festival. Aside from daunting task of attempting to replicate the multiple talents of O’Connor, surely there were other reasons for re-launching the Perth Theatre Company production with three actresses instead of one?
“Our director [Alan Becher] decided that he’d like to split the roles up because there are a lot of strong female actors in Perth,” explains Fornasier. Plus, she says, “it’s a lot of work for one woman! I think it’s nice to split it up because you can put more subtlety into each role… If you had six, it could become a little bit more broad, you’re using up so much energy.”
The production was hugely popular during its initial sell-out season in Perth; now, as well as doing shows in Brisbane, Ipswich, and Toowoomba, by the end of the show’s Australian tour Fornasier and her fellow cast members will have performed in Tasmania, rural Victoria, and the New South Wales towns of Orange, Griffith, Port Macquarie and Sydney. Fornasier credits the show’s success to its comedic core. “People come and have a good night. They laugh! .... Sometimes it’s good to take people out of the stresses of home life.” She pauses. “Mind you, a lot of the laughter is about people relating to what’s going on on stage!”
BOMBSHELLS plays at QUT Gardens Theatre on September 26 and 27, as part of an Australian tour supported by the Australian Government Playing Australia and Country Arts WA. For tickets phone 3138 4455 or visit www.gardenstheatre.qut.com.
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