THE HOUSE OF HEARTS & MIRRORS at Metro Arts

The House of Mirrors & Of Hearts is, excuse the play on words, an intoxicating musical that I had the absolute honour and pleasure of seeing last night. Not many would be familiar with the title or the story, and that's because it's only just making its Australian debut, ten years after its first production in London. The piece tells the story of Anna and her daughters Lily and Laura, who exist in a realm of lies, mirrors and quite a lot of alcohol, after the death of Anna's husband/their father. They spend their days in silence until their new lodger Nathan, an academic, forces them to confront their past.

I love going to see independent productions. There's a different atmosphere, a different feel, a different rapport between the performer and the audience. There's more at stake with independent productions, but the House of Mirrors and of Hearts has nothing to lose.

From the minute she walked on stage, I felt everything that Fiona Buchanan (Anna) felt. Everything, The pain, the hurt, the longing, the loss, the numbness... There was nothing that Buchanan hid from us. Abigail Peace was captivating as Lily, with her performance of Look At Me being my favourite number of the show because not only was it vocally and musically fascinating, but it was the first time when we get an insight into how Lily was feeling; that all she wanted was to be loved. Just like all of us. Just like all of the characters in fact. Each character wanted to be held and to feel the warmth of someone else. Did each character reach their goal in the end? Maybe not, but then again, we aren't all lucky...

Dan Jess did a superb job with the direction of this work. Musically, it was divine. The harmonies were pitch perfect, so to speak and the cast's voices blended together so beautifully, especially Bonnie Fawcett's (Laura) and Peace's, who had such beautiful chemistry on stage. The use of splitting the space into the three separate rooms, whilst still having the band in clear sight at the back, was very innovative way to utilise what space they had; without detracting anything away from the central drama.

The characters are real. The story is interesting. It makes you think. It makes you feel. It's everything theatre should be.

Rating: 4.5 stars