Mrs T Foresees
Four-Sight
Mrs T Foresees
CoPilot Productions at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town until 7th June
Review by Heather Moulson
A lone figure sits there as we file into a neat and precise auditorium for Mrs T Foresees. Haunting and intriguing, Molly Tolpuddle comes to life as the house lights darken.
Around her, Lewis, Franny and Pinky could have easily been mistaken for ghosts or undead figures, but they are inmates at the Yarra Bend Home for the Lunatic and Insane, an asylum in Victoria, Australia. Chilling at first, they become the effective chorus for recounting the fractured past of MollyTolpuddle, Mrs T as she is otherwise known. Dark humour and pathos are heavily involved and seep out to spread around generously.
Filthy and unkempt, as inmates were in 1887, the trio prompt, cajole and mock Molly as her story unwinds. Carol Tagg plays Mrs T as consistently charming and articulate, yet earthy and tragic through this two hour production. Directed by the author Gaił Matthews, the simple dark set, by visual and technical creative directors Sara Curnock Cook and Richard Allport, is used thoughtfully to set off Molly’s swift movements and the chorus’s haunting body language.
Dottie Lubienska’s Franny is a strong presence as her story unfolds towards the end. Lewis played by Michal Nowak, is monumental (but a little loud) and clearly skilled. Pinky is a great leveller in the trio and Tom Barnes, in role, is a real talent. All three are highly watchable.
The character and story of Mrs T is vaguely true, and certainly tragic. The young Molly Tolpuddle had emigrated to Australia from Ireland in 1849, as an ‘assisted’ female. She married, had a family, and in due course set herself up as a medium and clairvoyant, making the most of the opportunities in the thriving new colony of Victoria. But MrsT became a notorious figure as she had a gift for seeing the future. Punters were disarmed at her clear insight, including an encounter with Nellie Melba as a schoolgirl, so much so that she was eventually certified as insane.
The narrative of the play takes an interesting look at psychic powers, but scenes tend to meander. The séance at the end of the first act, although nicely humorous, becomes somewhat bewildering. However, Carol Tagg carries off this demanding part smoothly. Appearing in every scene, Tagg has an empathy with her character and she emerges as a likeable figure.
Set into chapters from prologue to epilogue, Gaił Matthews’ play is intelligently written and directed. Although dealt with sensitively, the issues in Mrs T Foresees, such as sexual assault, genocide and death, are disturbing, but it tells an enigmatic and powerfully dark story with great skill.
Heather Moulson, June 2025
Photography by Tara Basi
Mark Aspen 