Last night Sheenagh and I went to see Where Is Joy? at fortyfivedownstairs, written and performed by Emma Louise Pursey. If you get a chance to see this play, do it. It’s a remarkable portrayal of Joy Hester, raw, intense, and deeply human.
From the moment Emma appeared, sitting cross-legged on the floor at Heide, sketching furiously in ink, it felt like Joy was right there in front of us. The way she moved, the way she spoke, even the way she used her hands, all captured Joy’s restless energy.
As someone writing a biography of Gray Smith, I was struck by how present Gray was throughout the play. Too often he’s missing in depictions of that period, but here he was from the start to the finish, caring, loving, sometimes difficult, but always important. The play even recreated one of his epileptic fits in a way that was both shocking and tender. It showed how much these two depended on each other.
The play also touches on Joy’s complex world, her son Sweeney, her mother, Sunday Reed, and the wider Heide circle. Sidney Nolan, Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, and others are all referenced, but it’s not name-dropping. It’s the world she lived in. There’s even a funny scene about Joy and Gray’s year in the bush with the Blackmans and the “chicken fiasco” where the 40 chooks went off before Christmas.
We happened to be sitting near Christabel Blackman, Charles and Barbara’s daughter, and had a drink with her and her partner Jim Moginie (yes, from Midnight Oil) afterwards. Christabel told us that during that time on the farm, it was Joy who encouraged her mother, who was going blind, to have children. That adds another layer to the story for me, Joy as an encourager, a believer in life despite everything stacked against her.
The staging was simple and effective: one woman, one frame, projections of Joy’s ink drawings on the back wall, and lighting that created an almost ghostly atmosphere. The soundscape kept you slightly on edge, and there was this haunting refrain, “one Penny, two Penny, three Penny, four,” that threaded through the performance and tied it all together at the end.
I also loved how the play wove in poetry, fast, rhythmic, and full of bite. Some of it may have been Joy’s own words, some from Emma herself. Either way, it worked beautifully. By the end, Emma was physically spent. It was a true tour de force.
If I had one small wish, it’s that the play made it clearer that Gray was also a painter. Most people know Nolan and Blackman were artists, but Gray’s contribution often goes unsaid. Still, seeing him so well represented here was deeply gratifying.
Where Is Joy? isn’t just a play. It’s an event. I left the theatre thinking I’d just witnessed something culturally important. Emma Louise Pursey has given us a Joy Hester who is wild, loving, haunted, brave, and utterly unforgettable.
If you’re interested in Australian art, modernism, or just want to see a powerful piece of theatre, go see Where Is Joy?. You won’t be disappointed.
6 Responses
Wish I could see it!
Yes, you would love it Reka.
Thanks Shawn, for this description
👍
Shawn, i went last night.
I did support Emma in her journey to the play. I thought it was fabulous, but yes can understand your misgiving re Gray’s work… but gosh she’s done a fantastic job.
I was friends with the Mora’s (and still am with Phillipe and Tiriel, and both William’s wives actually!) George and Mirka were huge in my life… i realise it more and more as i get older. In my days with William as a teenager i went to Heide .. knew Sweeney well. At that stage he was with Pamela and had kids.
I am only telling you this as they all had such an impact on so many people … inc moi.
It is so great that you acknowledge this and have put this site together for your father in law.
Warmest regards, Jo
Thanks Jo for your comment. My misgiving was a small thing in relation to the tremendous art piece Emma created. Great to hear about how you are connected to the important lives attached to Heide.