Written by celebrated Melbourne playwright Daniel Keene and directed by Matt Scholten, The Lark follows Rose Grey, played by Noni Hazlehurst, a woman in her seventies who was born above the inner-Melbourne pub she has run and lived in her entire life. Now the pub is set for demolition, swallowed by the same gentrification reshaping cities everywhere, and Rose is left to sift through seventy years of memory before she lets it go.

“It’s basically set in an inner city working man’s pub, in Melbourne, but it could be in any big city anywhere in the world, really,” Hazlehurst explained.

“The gentrification of the suburb is sort of taking over and lots of history is being erased.”

While the story is based in Melbourne, the themes of the play speak to the shifting cultural and historical identities of many different places.

“In any city you go to, it’s a sea of cranes building high rise apartments. Occasionally, they might keep the facade of an old building and build something hideous behind it, all in the name of progress,” said Hazlehurst.

The Lark is the second time that Keene and Hazlehurst have worked together, the first being Mother, which visited Wollongong in 2016. Once Keene’s work is done, it’s up to Hazlehurst and Scholten to bring the piece to life.

“His writing is so complete, we don’t make any changes,” said Hazlehurst, “it’s so beautifully written.”

“The writing is just stunning, and my job is to do it justice”

Part of this challenge is Hazlehurst performing entirely on her own. It’s something she relishes in. “I love it, I absolutely love it. It’s such a challenge. You just launch and whatever happens, happens. I try to make it word perfect to do justice to the writing and the stage manager tells me if I get a word wrong, but I’m usually aware of it because it has its own poetry and its own kind of music,” said Hazlehurst.

“It’s just a wonderful challenge to tell the story from the beginning through the middle to the end all by yourself.”
However, it could be argued that the audience is just as much as part of the performance.

“If someone coughs loudly, I think, ‘oh, I wonder if people have missed the line because of that cough, I might have to repeat it.’ Or if someone drops a glass or a bloody phone rings or something, you have to accommodate that,” said Hazelhurst.

“You can’t pretend that these things aren’t happening because everyone hears them and sees them.”

It’s that human element of performance that keeps audiences engaged. It’s an issue close to Hazlehurst’s heart.

“That’s the function of the arts; they connect us and they remind us that we share more similarities as people than differences,” said Hazlehurst.

“I think in this current climate that we’re in, it’s really important for the arts to have that strength and that respect that they do to say ‘you’re not alone’.”

The show’s national tour takes it beyond the major capitals, something Hazlehurst is particularly passionate about.

“I’ve always found that people are hungry for thought provoking theatre. You can only go to so many tribute shows,” said Hazlehurst.

“I think it’s really important that the arts are able to be promulgated throughout the country, not just in the major cities.”

For Hazlehurst, getting young people through the door matters most of all, particularly given her approach to the craft itself.

“Particularly for young people, the theatre is the last human-to-human art form, particularly if you refuse to wear a microphone like me,” said Hazlehurst.

“Everything is so push button and electronic now. I think it’s important for kids, young people, to come to the theatre.”

While Hazlehurst’s name draws audiences in, she’s adamant the real drawcard is Keene’s writing, work she believes deserves far wider recognition at home.

“Daniel is internationally acclaimed. The French have given him a knighthood of arts and letters. His work is so revered there, and he’s been done in America and all over the place. He’s just not that well known in Australia, and it’s a tragedy,” said Hazlehurst.

“I think it’s because he writes about people who fall through the cracks, so it’s not as easily accessible in people’s minds. But Daniel writes for everybody.”

It’s that generosity of spirit, both in Keene’s writing and Hazlehurst’s performance, that makes The Lark worth the trip to the theatre.