Unsuckle

What is your mother’s signature dish? Pasta. Pumpkin Soup. Perhaps a shepherd’s pie. What dance move is your mum famous for trotting out at weddings, birthday shindigs or any other self-judged (in)appropriate moment? Creative trio Harriet Wallace-Mead, Isabella Vadiveloo and Josiah Lulham unpack the conversation around motherhood in Unsuckle, and employ dance, storytelling, acrobatics and captivating audio-visuals to craft an electrifying entrancing show. Onstage at La Mama Courthouse till Sunday, 16 February, Unsuckle presses the question of what motherhood has meant – and what is means today.

Much of the conversation takes place around a patch of dirt where Harriet and Josiah trace their lineage as far as possible. What was so fascinating to see is that their knowledge of their ancestry steeps at the great-great-grandmother mark. It made me wonder if this was the case for many of us. Other than their name, and maybe a glimpse of a faded photograph once or twice, my knowledge of my ancestral bonds is lacking. Josiah and Harriet then stumble upon a little green baby that serves as a catalyst for them to consider if they’re ready for motherhood. Sprouting countless reasons not to, the pair are hesitant to reject the baby nourishment and protection, perhaps stemming back to our evolutionary instinct to care for our offspring.

In the second portion of the show, the attention shifts away from personal anecdotes and anxieties to a collective anxiety about the state of the world. Climate change and extreme weather events are a cause of alarm for many. As Harriet puts it, ‘it seems like every conversation we have about the possibility of having kids ourselves is so quickly drenched in fear about the climate crisis, and questions about our individual responsibilities in the face of that. Is it time that we nurture and care for our distressed Earth the only way a mother can?

Unsuckle was wholly as entertaining as it was thought provoking. The dialogue felt so contemporary and free from the shackles of political rhetoric and societal norms. Isabella’s interlude giving a speech on her ‘problematic body’ injected a layer of authenticity and rawness on an otherwise up-until-that-point show about White privilege.

Is there ever a good time to have a kid? That’s a deeply personal question to pose. What Unsuckle will do is entertain you and make you reflect on your mother, your mother’s mother, and the mum you intend to be.

Unsuckle
La Mama Courthouse,
Till Sunday, 16 February 2020
lamama.com.au/whats-on/summer-autumn-2020/unsuckle