THEATRE: Donning a
wig, utilising a walker and taking on a voice many decades older than her
natural one is all in a night’s work for Vivienne Garrett.
Acting veteran Garrett is part of the ensemble
cast in the new show Biddies – a show which features an everyday group of
elderly women.
Speaking to entertainment from Melbourne,
Garrett gushed how she enjoyed transforming for the stage.
“The make-up, wigs, clothes – I love
transforming,” she said.
“In particular in a performance like this, I can
transform my body shape.
“I’ve played roles closer to my age, but I like
that this is totally different.”
A comedy with heart, Biddies features five
ordinarily marvellous women who find themselves back in their primary school
classroom plying their needles in a session of “stitch and bitch”.
Accidentally locked in the classroom with
nothing but ingenuity, unknown reserves come to the fore.
Garrett said the ordinary aspect of the play was
a big part of its appeal.
“The unravelling of the past, old rivalries and
fun skirmishes – it’s sort of a translation of women,” she said.
“It’s not about special heroes or heroines, it’s
ordinary Australian women and how they deal with this.
“There are no men in the show at all – these are
all old biddies.”
A graduate of the prestigious theatre school
NIDA, Garrett has enjoyed an illustrious acting career.
Garrett’s career spans decades from iconic
television series like Number 96, Matlock Police, Homicide and Ship to Shore.
The star of the stage and screen said Biddies
would offer plenty of fun and chaos to local audiences.
“It’s a real cross-section of women and it is a
heartfelt story,” she said.
“People write off older women and it is sort of
a celebration of ordinary life.”
Biddies will hit the Bunbury Regional
Entertainment Centre stage on August 22.
Visit www.bunburyentertainment.com for more
information.
