The Magnolia Tree

In the front yard of the family’s home stands a Magnolia Tree. It was Mum’s favourite. In another time her children would hunt its branches for the elusive singing cicadas. Mum’s Alzheimer’s is now profound and her now much older children often search her eyes for her . . . But tonight, the three of them have supposedly come together to choose her a nursing home, but then one suggests a more radical course of action, setting mum free, tonight.

This play has two endings, and it is the audience who, through a live vote will decide the ending of the play. Either Thumbs up or Thumbs down.

In the moments before its premiere Michael, the writer, assured an audience member, who was a Priest, that the audience would never vote, “Thumbs down,” but that night they did. Then, astonishingly, after over 40 shows the result from the audience stands at about, 50/ 50. But then this isn’t Parliament, it’s Theatre, so you can vote ‘melodramatically.’

Incredibly the script is remarkably funny but never black, instead its brilliant and gripping story uses a strategy of slowly revealed deeper truths that see these siblings travel ever further towards a Heart of Darkness . . . Or is it light?

Suitable for:  Ages 15+

Warnings: Occasional course language