Review (Georgia Haupt): EDNA-GY

Review and photography by Georgia Haupt

Written by Sophie Wickes | Directed by Kathryn Collins | Produced by Griffin Walsh | Performed by Grace Lofting | Do-Op Shop, Annerley | Brisbane Anywhere Festival

“Why are you all here… in the Do-Op Shop… in Annerley… staring at her?” Grace Lofting’s Eleanor demands answers from her startled audience, shattering the fourth wall before we’ve even settled into our seats. This arresting opening to EDNA-GY immediately establishes the show’s intimate, unsettling tone as Eleanor, a ghost whose ashes have ended up on an op shop shelf, grapples with her predicament.

Sophie Wickes’ script offers something refreshingly rare: stories grounded in the authentic voice and experiences of young Australian women. Named after the Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby,” this Eleanor grapples with her own profound loneliness. She’s dead like her mother and grandmother, yet somehow remains separated from them; a confusion that forms the emotional heart of this dark comedy about legacy.

Carrying a 50-minute monologue is no small feat, and Lofting rises to the challenge with genuine skill. She holds the audience’s attention throughout, moving between moments of hilarity and heartbreak without ever feeling forced or performative. It’s the kind of honest, grounded performance that reminds you why solo theatre can be so powerful.

The production design brilliantly serves the narrative. Rather than traditional theatre lighting, household lamps illuminate the genuine op shop setting, switching off one by one throughout the performance until we’re plunged into complete darkness. This descent into blackness – both literal and metaphorical – creates a haunting finale that lingers in both mind and body as audiences file out.

The show’s sweet humanity shines through its exploration of three generations of women, while never shying away from life’s brutal realities. The devastating irony of Eleanor’s situation crystallises in her observation of the $9.95 price tag on her urn: “you live and you die and you’re not even worth 10 bucks.”