Following its award-winning run in London, Mi Todo Productions proudly presents the Australian premiere of Jennifer Lunn’s Es & Flo, a decades-long queer love story between two women as part of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
“I will never write another play like this.” Jennifer Lunn shared with QNews from her home in the UK, “It has such a huge part of my heart in it.”
Es & Flo tells the story of two women’s connection born in protest and deepened by a lifetime of quiet devotion at The Old Fitz as part of Sydney Mardi Gras.
Audiences meet them now as older women, facing the shifting terrain of memory, autonomy, and care, in an intimate portrait that is rarely centred onstage.
“The two main characters are named after my two grandmothers,” Lunn said, “My mum’s mum, Florence, had dementia for about 10 years; that was a big part of wanting to write a story about dementia.”
“Normally, we see someone lose their keys, and six months later, they don’t know anybody, and that’s not how it works. It is long and slow, they can’t look after themselves at times, and it’s hard on them but also on those who care for them. I really wanted to try and capture that.”
“My other grandmother carried a secret for a huge amount of her life, as many do, and we think it’s going to protect our loved ones, which was the other big ingredient I wanted to explore.”
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‘No one’s gonna write that, but you should’
Lunn never intended to become a playwright but spent her life working in theatre. She woke up one morning and told her wife she would like to see a play about older lesbians.
“Maybe one of them has dementia, maybe they get a cleaner, and she’s got a secret as well, and somehow, they all become friends and secrets. My wife turned to me and said, ‘No one’s gonna write that, but you should.’”
Lunn started writing a scene to see what would happen, and ten years later, the play was being performed on stage.
“Those ten years are the biggest reason the play is the play it is.” Lunn said, “I’ll never write a play like that again. I don’t imagine anything will ever have the kind of layers that exist in this play.”
Es & Flo made its way to Australia when Chad Traupmann from Mi Todo Productions was looking for works with an all-female cast following the company’s premiere last year with Mary Jane.
“That was a beautiful experience, I loved that it was an all-female cast, an Australian premiere with incredible writing, and I wanted to try to find a way to replicate that,” he said.
“I read a lot of plays, but as soon as I picked up Jennifer’s play, I was crying and fell in love with it. I felt a lot of association with some of the characters and my own lived experience.”
“There was an instant sort of connection and love. So, I pitched it to the Old Fitz, and they said they didn’t have a show for Mardi Gras yet, so I went about bringing on Emma to direct the piece and build this beautiful village of incredible, mainly women, to support it has been great.”
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A powerful exploration of senior queer lives
The ensemble of the Australian production is led by Annie Byron (Wolf Creek 2, Muriel’s Wedding) and Fay Du Chateau (Heartbreak High, Paper Dolls) with Eloise Snape (Colin from Accounts, Mr Inbetween), Erika Ndibe, Charlotte Salusinszky, and Georgina Warren-Nwokolo.
Through rehearsal, they’ve brought a warmth, humour and emotional depth to this exploration of senior queer lives, which has been a powerful experience for director Emma Canalese.
“Seeing them come to life has been beautiful, real and poignant,” she said, getting emotional, “With everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s so important to see these stories, but what Jennifer has created is such a universal story.”
“It’s about family. It’s about what do you do if you have to hold these secrets and you can’t tell people, and who are the people that pull in and form around you, and the families that create.”
“We use the term chosen family, but who are the families that appear in these times when we feel lost? It is about the love we give each other.
“As we were holding auditions, every person said they loved the play because they had never read anything like it. Some said they didn’t know if they could do it because it felt too personal.”
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The kind of work you rarely see on Australian stages
“There are moments in the play that everyone can recognise, but everyone’s moment is different,” Canalese said.
“There are still moments where I’m hearing things for the first time, little moments that trigger memories that are so beautifully portrayed in the script. With the layers that come out on stage, I believe many people will react in similar ways.”
“I feel really lucky that Jen wrote this play, and she has been so generous to give us her time during this process. It has given me a deeper level of where the play is coming from, which you don’t get with published plays. It’s been really special and unique.
Es & Flo is the kind of work that is rarely centred on Australian stages.
The characters navigate the shifting terrain of memory, autonomy and the realities of care. But when illness threatens their independence, an unexpected family begins to form around them.
“I remember the first time I saw rehearsals for the original production and saw two older women, one black woman, one white, both over 60, dancing and kissing, Lunn said.
“And I was thinking that I’ve never seen that, and I knew why I had written this play. I wanted to see myself, a version of my story, a story that we don’t realise we never see until it is onstage in front of us.”
Es & Flo plays at the Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo until February 28th. Get your tickets here.
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