Memmie Le Blanc is based on the true story of a feral child who was captured in the French wilderness in the eighteenth century and forcibly civilised. Accomplished playwright Hilary Bell has developed an interesting script that poses many questions about the nature of humanity, civilisation and social conformity. This is a classical, dialogue driven piece that follows all of the traditional theatrical conventions but it delivers nothing new in its formula or execution.

Anni Linder does an incredible job in portraying the beastly and displaced Memmie. Although Memmie becomes more ‘civilised’ as they play develops, the opening scenes are very affecting. It was hard not to be physically repulsed by Memmie. Some of her actions and mannerisms are so grotesque and animal-like that at times it is very hard to endure. This is a true testament to her outstanding ability. Netta Yashchin delivers a convincing performance as Catherine Michel, the lonely widow who takes Memmie in to assist in her reintegration into society. The customs of eighteenth century French society seem ridiculous when played out by Memmie. The clothing including hip extenders, too tight shoes and formal teas seem more like methods of torture than social custom.

Memmie is desperate for a secure future and a home, but is naturally drawn to the wilderness and it becomes increasingly difficult for her to suppress her primal urges. This struggle is exacerbated by the arrival of George (Adam McGurk), natural scientist, writer and philosopher. His companion is a trained orang-utan Robert, who is played exceptionally well by Perth based dancer/actor Sete Tele. The relationship between Memmie, the beastly human and Robert, the civilised ape is intriguing and masterly executed by both performers.

George is determined to observe Memmie’s animalistic behaviour for scientific purposes, but Memmie has no desire to leave her new home or to disobey Catherine. Designer Andrew Lake has created a versatile set through the use of an overarching Jungle Jim. The dome like structure works as a cage, the interior of Catherine’s house and an effective climbing space for Memmie and Robert. Isaac Lumis has designed costumes that look fantastic and suit the period and theme of the piece.

The only problem that I had with the performance was the interspersed musical numbers where all of the characters lip-synched to upbeat old show tunes. This seemed to intrude on the story and the believability of the characters without adding any real value to the performance or story. Vitalstatistix have come up with another challenging work that was superbly executed by a troupe of versatile performers. Memmie Le Blanc leaves you pondering the nature of humanity, although at times it is hard to endure.