Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam

Theatre-goers who enjoy thrillers which are also emotionally binding won’t be disappointed in this stage play, which was the inaugural winner of the Lysicrates Prize.

The story centres on a family living in Adelaide whose youngest child is diagnosed with Leukaemia. “The parents are dealing with the diagnosis and how to deal with the stress of the treatment of chemotherapy,” explained director Darren Yap. “But things then go strange for them because the treatment isn’t working and there is this fear of what’s going to happen to their child. They decide to do something to protect their child from the fear of death.”

This is the story of the unconditional love of parents, faith, religion and also explores how to reconcile the decisions made in life and how to deal with the loss of loved ones. How far would you go to protect your family and would you die for a loved one?

“It’s like a mystery and until it’s revealed at the end you go, ‘Oh my god! That’s what these parents decided to do because they love their child so much!’ Hopefully that’s the fun bit that makes it entertaining as well.”

The message to audiences is that family is important and should be treasured, as life is short and every moment is precious.

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam is the title of a Presbyterian hymn and the religious themes in the play resonate that if there is a God why is there suffering and why should young children die?

This play is dark and universally topical, but is it suitable for children? “If you’re a kid and you want to see this it’s tough stuff but you would watch a story about a loving family and how they deal with something terrible. This could also be educational and if the kid is savvy enough they would go home with their parents and talk about death and what cancer means. It depends on how sheltered or how open the kid is – the important thing for parents to know is that it deals with death.” (MMo)

Oct 18-27. Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market Streets, Parramatta. $30-$54+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.riversideparramatta.com.au