How would you feel meeting a mother that you never knew?
This heart-breaking scenario forms the centre of the Belvoir’s latest production – ‘Forget Me Not’.
This exquisite and harrowing play was written for Belvoir by Tom Hollaway and follows Gerry, an aging man on his journey to meet the mother he hasn’t seen since he was three. This story has emerged from the shocking reality of the thousands of English children who – as recently as the 1970s – were removed from their homes, told they were orphans and deported to Australia. What awaited these children was placement in deprived institutions where neglect and abuse were the norm.
Beautifully written, the story alternates fluidly between past and present – gradually drawing the audience into the reality and anguish of Gerry’s and his family’s existence. Co-commissioned by Sydney’s Belvoir and Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse theatres, this play is set between Australia and the UK. The transcontinental theme is also reflected in the cast with Australian actors Colin Moody and Mandy McElhinney starring alongside a show-stealing performance from British actress Eileen O’Brien .
The play will be showing until May 19 at Surry Hill’s Belvoir Theatre.
Forget Me Not – completely unforgettable.
