Hope triumphs over illness in one-man play

When asked, actor Ray Henwood refuses to tell people what his new one-man play, The Carer, is about. It is easy enough to find out. The press kit spells it out, and Henwood is easily drawn for the purposes of an interview.

But he refuses to sketch the story in a sentence or two, concerned the wrong explanation could invite a prejudgment the play does not deserve.

"If you describe it, people may think it is quite the reverse of what it is, a joyous night at the theatre, a hopeful story that has its poignant moments, but which takes you through a roller-coaster ride of emotion."

To attend The Carer is to spend a night with George Parker, a sophisticated retired businessman in his late 60s, who at the start of the play, has just brought home the ashes of his wife.

George retired early from his firm to care for his wife, who suffered from Alzheimer's. He cared for her at home for two years before she became so demented and incontinent he had to put her into care.

The big question for George is when did he lose his wife? Was it when she died or when the doctor uttered the words, "Is there a history of Alzheimer's in your family?"

The play is not an examination of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, but is a study of a man who is facing the future after the death of his wife. It asks who cares for the carer once the caring is over - and it is a comedy.

"When I read the script I was amazed by the humour in it. And Alan [Hopgood, the playwright] allows you to laugh right at the beginning. He lets the audience in immediately."

The Carer has toured its homeland of Australia to great acclaim since 1999, performed by veteran actor Charles Bud Tingwell. Now Henwood has picked up the baton for a national tour of New Zealand.

When he read the script and saw the play performed in Sydney, he knew he was on to something, but audiences here will see a new, improved version.

"I knew it was good story, a lovely story, and a great night at the theatre. I went to a matinee and I was struck by the large number of young people there. This play is not ageist, not sexist. I thought it was brilliant but felt in the second half George was taking his journey too quickly."

Hopgood agreed, and penned three new scenes for the New Zealand production. Henwood is happy with the changes. Before the New Zealand premiere in Wellington, he spent three weeks rehearsing in Melbourne, which included a test run in front of a small audience.

Talking to the Melbourne audience and discussing the play with people here, Henwood was struck by the consistency of the responses.

"So many people have said they have been in George's position. Caring for someone old or ill is a modern phenomenon, and so many people are in this position. I think this play will really take off in the smaller centres, because it is such a universal experience. And people can relate to the humour of the play. They say, 'If we didn't laugh, we'd go mad'."

Carers NZ, the national advocacy body for caregivers, says one in five New Zealanders supports someone who is frail, aged, sick, injured, disabled or is experiencing a mental illness.

The play's humorous and life-affirming take on caring led to it being championed by related social services in Australia to raise awareness of the issues surrounding caregiving.

Here, Carers NZ held its first annual summit to coincide with the Wellington season of the play. The organisation has also co-ordinated an exhibition of photographs, which will visit each town the play goes to.

For many, Henwood is synonymous with Hugh from the television comedies Gliding On and Market Forces, and stage roles from many Roger Hall plays.

The Carer is his third solo show. He won the 2001 Chapman Tripp Award for Actor of the Year for Playing Burton about fellow Welshman Richard Burton, which Henwood toured here and in Australia.

His first one-man play, No Good Boyo, was about the last hours of poet Dylan Thomas, which Henwood wrote himself.

"A solo show is harder in the load you carry, but the rewards are commensurate. As an actor, you can hear people listening, and there is a moment when you know you have taken the audience somewhere else.

"With an ensemble piece, you can feed off other people and be inspired by them. One-man work can feel a bit isolationist, and I wouldn't want to do it all of the time."

Performance

* What: The Carer

* Where and when: Maidment Theatre, Mar 31-Apr 9