At the crossing over

"Exquisite in all respects" - Australian Stage

The idea for At the crossing over came from the recent cases of a couple who had decided to take the life of their profoundly disabled son when they believed that his quality of life had become untenable. They were convicted of manslaughter but were given suspended sentences. I was fascinated at how their lives were turned upside down by his disability, how they were able to take his life for love, and how they had to endure a trial afterwards.

My original response took the form of a short play, the title borrowed from the work for solo clarinet, Fleshold: At the crossing over, by my charming friend, the composer Matthew Bieniek. The play featured live clarinet performance.

I felt that the poetry in the work lent itself naturally to music, so I decided to write a through-composed music theatre piece for Short Sweet+Song 2009.

The cast was sensational: Mitch Riley as Sam, Amanda Stephens Lee as the mother, and Jennifer Reed and Danielle Mullins as the two angels who guide Sam through his life.

The text for the work is comprised entirely of excerpts of the poetry of William Wordsworth, Thomas Hardy, Gerard Manley Hopkins and the 2nd century Chinese poet Cao Zhi.

To view a sample of the score, click here.

Click here for reviews by Australian Stage and Stage Whispers.

And check out the video on YouTube: Part 1 and Part 2.

The photos below are of the SS+S 2009 production at the Pilgrim Theatre, Sydney. Photos by Geoff Surmai of Watchdog Communications.

Mitch Riley as Sam and Amanda Stephens Lee as his mother


Danielle Mullins as an angel


Cast, wheelchair, and the sash of life




Danielle Mullins and Jennifer Reed as the angels