Most people do not wonder what it would be like to lose their memory when they’re older. Most people, understandably, would not imagine what it would be like if they lost their memory tomorrow.  I am glad that at age eighteen, I had no idea that when I was nineteen I would lose a significant amount of my memory capacity, and that I would lose it overnight. Whilst I did not lose my memories per se (they became vague recollections), I did lose a substantial part of my previous ability to remember new information. So, when I got sent along to review It’s Dark Outside at The Street Theatre last night, it was with a cautious and slightly fearful intrigue.

What I saw was nothing short of deeply heartfelt and insightful brilliance.

It’s Dark Outside is an ingenious play commissioned by the Perth Theatre Company. The story follows an old man who is losing his mind to dementia. The wing-eared, almost comic book character is portrayed by the masked Arielle Gray (the old man is also played by a puppet, oh and he’s also played by a silhouette). The most beautiful moments of this play are when the audience goes along with the character and loses their mind with him. It was so easy to get caught up in the old man’s meandering creations. Then came the moments when the audience snaps back to realise the poignancy of the story before them.

Many people laughed, I did not. I cried. A lot. Because it was all very close to home.

What is played out on stage was created and performed by Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs and Tim Watts with composer Rachael Dease. The content of what happens on stage is understated brilliance.  A combination of film projections, the puppet alter ego of the old man (which was meticulously controlled by all three) and the masked character made the experience feel more like watching a film or reading a sad comic book.

The way I saw the end was as a celebration of those who remember our memories when we lose them. Which only made me cry all the more, but which was a beautiful summation.

Every subtle turn of hand or foot made to create even the smallest gesture on stage would call out to the back row with a gentle sigh of emotion.

There was a scene where the old man was flying through a dreamless sleep. All that passes him are empty clouds. Having being lead to this scene, it was not difficult to interpret the clouds as empty thoughts, or as thoughts that could not be accessed or held. I loved this scene, and it was a scene that I didn’t find to be sad.

Despite the great improvements I have had over the past decade, people still comment that it must be hard to forget so much when my memory used to be so brilliant. The truth is that I don’t know what I forget, because I don’t remember it. For the first nineteen years of my life I was an insomniac, I couldn’t turn my brain off to go to sleep because I was incapable of forgetting. I may have lost my memory, but I can sleep now. Like the old man with his empty thoughts, I can sleep.

This was a truly brilliant performance. Whether or not you have any connection to memory loss or to elderly with dementia (and if you do, I assure you, it is truly sensitive and a perfect snapshot of the condition), it is a touching play, so come along this week to see it for yourself.

the essentials

What: It’s Dark Outside
Where: The Street Theatre, 15 Childers St, Canberra City West
When:  7:30pm each night until Saturday 7 June, and 4pm on Sunday 8 June
How much: $25/$35
Tickets:  6247 1223 orwww.thestreet.org.au