Sophie Ross and Greg Stone in MTC’s The Waiting Room. Photo: Jeff Busby
The Waiting Room is a multi-layered play about the development of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in Melbourne in the 1970s and centres on the role of pioneering scientist Alan Trounson. Written by his daughter, Kylie Trounson, it is a personal look at the professional and family history of her father, and the far-reaching consequences of his research.
The result is a patchwork quilt of dramatic vignettes and interwoven stories, AV projections and narration. We travel through time and space, led by a fictionalised incarnation of the playwright herself (played by Sophie Ross). There are also versions of Trounson, his wife, Dr Carl Wood and others who were involved in both the creation and controversy of IVF. Other characters are purely fictional, like Raf and Zoe (Brett Cousins and Belinda McClory), a couple undergoing IVF alternately in the 70s and the present day. And thrown into the mix are cameos from philosophers and scientists drawn from history, come to offer their wisdom. Even Eros, the God of Love, makes an appearance to breathe life into Raf and Zoe’s fraught relationship.
However, like IVF, this play is not 100% successful all of the time – it is an ambitious work and it is perhaps the grandness and breadth of its scope that is at the heart of the issue. Is it a personal history? An historical play? A finely wrought human drama? A self-referential surrealist pastiche? A meditation on the nature of life, love and our place in the universe? The Waiting Room includes elements of each and seems to aim to be all things to all people – an impossible task. Ross, as the fictionalised Trounson, offers too much explication – of scientific concepts, philosophies, her place in the story and even musings on her own methods as a playwright. This frequent breaking of the fourth wall undercuts the drama and tension built in other scenes.
However, while the sum of its parts doesn’t quite add up to a cohesive whole, some of those parts are truly beautiful. Particularly when it ventures into the shade: into the darkness, the fury, the desperation and heartache of childlessness and failed IVF. In these scenes, the formidable cast are able to sink their teeth into the script and The Waiting Room really shines. The audience is spellbound during Raf and Zoe’s blazing row and our hearts break alongside Kate Atkinson, as the unsuccessful patient in the first clinical trials. The furious power couple at the modern fertility clinic perfectly illustrate the problems inherent in the current incarnation of IVF and its commodification of fertility.
Naomi Edwards’ staging and direction means we are never at a loss as we follow the complex and intertwined narrative. An incredibly versatile revolving set, designed by Dayna Morrissey, allows the play to flip seamlessly back and forth through time and space. Excellent costume design by Chloe Greaves supports the small cast in their sometimes lightening fast transformations from one character to another.
The cast themselves are uniformly brilliant, bringing the play from humour to heartbreak and back in the blink of an eye. There are particularly striking supporting turns by William McInnes and Kate Atkinson, who play a series of characters, from Aristotle to the 70s cafeteria worker, and imbue each with complexity, humour and humanity.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The Waiting Room
Melbourne Theatre Company
Written by Kylie Trounson
Director: Naomi Edwards
Set Designer: Dayna Morrissey
Costume designer: Chloe Greaves
Lighting Designer: Richard Vabre
Composer & Sound Designer: Russell Goldsmith
AV Designer: Michael Carmody
Voice & Dialect Coach: Geraldine Cook
Cast includes William McInnes, Kate Atkinson and Brett Cousins​
Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
Until 27 June​
