Following a sell out season at Auckland Fringe where it won the award for ‘Outstanding Performance by an Individual’, Me, My Mother and Suzy Cato is playing at the Melbourne Fringe Festival until October 20th at Trades Hall, Music Room.
A delightful, touching, nostalgia-filled trip back to the turn of the millennium, a time where Y2K paranoia ran rampant and the only thing a mobile phone could do was send a text; Me, My Mother and Suzy Cato is the brainchild of talented New Zealand actor, writer and producer, Florence Hartigan, who has crafted a sweet and nuanced coming of age tale.
Revolving around the chaotic life of 17-year-old Rachel, a Kiwi teen dealing with two well-meaning but ineffectual parents, this one-woman show sees Hartigan beautifully switching between the many characters that populate this story.
Rachel’s problems and concerns are relatable ones – wanting to travel, experience love for the first time and make her mark on the world, but as the year 2000 approaches and her doomsday prepper father constructs a bunker in which to live in after the impending Y2K apocalypse, she finds solace in the form of TV children’s show host Suzy Cato, who Rachel writes letters to for advice, rather than go to her parents with her problems.
Filled to the brim with ‘90s references, there’s especially good use of the 1998 Sixpence None the Richer hit Kiss Me, as well as some clever gags revolving around Titanic and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The use of real-life TV presenter Cato is well integrated into the main thrust of the story, with Hartigan’s calm and soothing delivery of Cato’s dialogue perfectly capturing the tone and mannerisms of a children’s entertainer. These scenes complement the more manic and chaotic scenes with Rachel brilliantly.
Hartigan’s show works best in its moments depicting Rachel’s youthful optimism and her first romance with a classmate, effortlessly capturing the naivety and excitability of a 17-year-old. It’s an impressive acting feat, and she never misses a beat in switching back and forth between Rachel and about a half dozen other characters during the show.
Sweet, sentimental and occasionally silly, Me, My Mother And Suzy Cato does a phenomenal job of transporting the audience back to 1999 New Zealand, and telling a heart-warming, life-affirming tale of a young woman finding herself amidst the madness of Y2K.
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Event Information
Duration: 55 minutes
Age suitability: M
Event warnings: Coarse Language, Some Infrequent/Low Pressure Audience Interaction.
Content warnings: Sexual References, Mental Health, Apocalypse References.
Playing at the Melbourne Fringe Festival until October 20th
Venue: Trades Hall, Music Room (Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton, VIC, 3053)
Tickets and more info: melbournefringe.com.au/event/me-my-mother-and-suzy-cato
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Images by New Lynn Photos/used with permission
Florence Hartigan most recently appeared alongside Rachel Griffiths and Martin Henderson in the TV comedy Madam, which was awarded ‘Best New Creation’ at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival, and ‘Best Comedy’ at the 2024 Berlin International Television Festival. She also starred in the US feature film Phoenix Forgotten, which was produced by Ridley Scott and the animated horror film To Your Last Death, alongside William Shatner.
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 