Shoeshorn

What is the significance of the title of the play ‘Shoehorn Sonata’' This play is written by John Misto he effectively communicates history, heroism and reconciliation between the the two characters and the projected visual and auditory images. This play portrays significance in our history and how it is remembered. It focuses on the lives of the two women, one British and one Australian, who we’re evacuated from Singapore. It helps us to look beyond the pain of the two women characters, it captivates the audience to not go on and not acknowledge the past of these women and all women who were involved. Act one scene one is about the history of the text and the composer uses a variety of dramatic techniques to portray these themes. The theme “darkness/silence” is shown at the beginning of the play when Bridie is first introduced to the audience, there is darkness and silence. Bridie then begins to talk out of the darkness were a spotlight is shone on to her, there is a spotlight so they are aware of who she is. Bridie begins to tell her story’s, she also explains what ‘kowtow’ is and then explains how strict the ‘nips’ were. The play opens with a scene almost as dramatic as the characters, introducing Bridie. She stands on a spotlight demonstrating the “Kow Tow” bow for respect in the centre of the stage then “claps her hands sternly”, immediately revealing the strong assertive nature of her character. The audiences become intrigued, and listen as she straightens difficulty from the Kow Tow, showing she is forceful and feisty but not young. As the “On Air” sign becomes visible the audiences realize she is being interviewed as she informs her audience she had enlisted in WW II following her dad’s footsteps. She tells her audience that her father gave her a Shoe-horn and two pieces of advice, “Don’t sit on a toilet seat until you have lined it with toilet paper” and “Never kiss a Pommie on the lips”. A marching song “Fall in Brother” was heard as images became visible on the screen of “Women Disembarking Singapore”. Misto created a dramatic atmosphere that captured the audience’s attention right through the introduction. A key focus of this play is in Act two Scene twelve and fourteen; on the reconciliation that eventually occurs between Bridie and Sheila. Bridie tells Sheila a secret about how deep her fear of the Japanese was. She fearded the Japanese so much that it had caused her to shoplift in the ‘David Jones food court’ she was surrounded by a bunch of Japanese tourists. This obviously now had a criminal record against Bridie to get a criminal record, this was not the best move for her because she always seemed to be the perfect one but deep down she had deep dark secrets. As images of the so called ‘great men’ were shown, there was always gradual darkness. After all the secrets have been released, in the last scene they find the connection and the bond they used to have and show it through the scene where they are both lifting the suitcase up together. The shoehorn is a metaphor for survival in this play as Bridie believes she was still alive today because of it, although it was her best friend who had saved her life. The play comes to an end when Bride and Sheila start dancing together to “blue Danube, moving off into their waltz, this shows there re-connection and their bond once again growing stronger as they work together again. As they dance the stage gradually gets darker, except for a very bright light on Bridie’s shoehorn, the symbol that brings them together. Throughout the whole play Mistro has demonstrated the hard times that these women have gone through, these women symbolising the other women during this war that have been neglected at anytime. Mistro demonstrates this through history, heroism and reconciliation between the action and interaction between the two characters and the projected visual and auditory images. This play demonstrates the long term effect that something as little as a secret from your past can impact on one’s life. Also the fact that one small sentimental item can have a big impact on the key to survival. The shoehorn is a symbol of life, faith, survival and hardship, the shoehorn is what kept them going during the camp and is now what reunites them back together.