NEVER DID ME ANY HARM

Parenting sure is a hot topic right now. With the success of The Slap in mind, the Sydney Theatre Company and contemporary dance company Force Majeure have joined forces for the first time to create Never Did Me Any Harm. It’s a physical theatre work inspired by the book and deals with parenting – the challenges, the contentment, and the misunderstandings. Melding theatre with the physical, it elegantly segues between the two forms to create a physical theatre work that people really understand, says performer Vincent Crowley. “The Slap hit a real chord,” he says, as everyone can relate to the issues of family and childhood. From mothers sharing in the woes of parenting to a couple worrying about how to discipline their child, this production does away with the lofty themes usually associated with physical theatre, and brings it down to the every-day. The work even uses words taken from real-life interviews with mothers, fathers and children. “The verbatim immediately puts it in a voice and tone that we understand”, says Crowley. If you’ve never seen physical theatre, this is the time to experience it.

Jan 6-Feb 12, Wharf 1 & 2, Sydney Theatre Company, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, $35-75, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au