MADAME OVARY
Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Thurs 5 Mar
*****
Intensely moving, effortlessly funny and intelligently crafted, Madame Ovary is a real-life tale of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 23. Written and performed by Rosa Hesmondhalgh, this one-woman play is inspired by the performer’s own personal experience of cancer – its diagnosis, treatment, recovery and aftermath. Set in January 2018, the play opens with Rosa compiling a list of New Year’s resolutions. Just like many others her age, she aims to do yoga, call her grandmother more, stop dating idiots and make some really good art. However, a second date with Tinder-boy is forcibly removed from her grasp by the shattering blow of a cancer diagnosis.
Sparing no detail, Rosa bravely launches herself back into her trauma for the sake of her art, as well as to raise awareness of this particular strain of cancer. Engaging her audience with thoughtful poetry, video, dance and sound, Rosa’s masterful storytelling is absorbing. Balancing a conversational monologue with striking spoken word (and the occasional dance number), the play is a fantastically messy oscillation between medical talk and the marvelling thought process of your average twenty-something. The frank and fearless way in which she tells her tale is endearing, evoking empathy as if she were a friend or close family member.
Rosa’s cancer may have been beyond her control, but this play consistently exhibits her maturity as an artist. Her quick tempo changes cleverly play with audience expectation, as she gently edges us over to the brink of tears before pulling us back into fits of laughter. Her fantastic stage presence allows the minimal set to not feel empty and the effective ways in which she uses projection of texts, Snapchat and WhatsApp encourage the audience members of the digital generation to relate.
Whilst the play ended on a positive and uplifting note, Rosa made it hauntingly clear that cancer is not so tidy, and explored a largely overlooked aspect of the disease: the devastating impact on mental health, and the PTSD and grief that often comes as a consequence of such intense illness.
Madame Ovary is a thought-provoking show about a tragic subject that inspires a positive perspective on life, as well as opening much-needed discussion.
words NAOMI GRIFFITHS