Smells Like You is a simple but effective look through our main character Macy’s life told through the lens of the things she smells and the memories they trigger. The show is broken up into three sections somewhat linearly travelling through her life, mostly told through shadow puppetry.
Planted in the Kaos Room at the Blue Room Theatre, an uncommon spot for main season shows, you enter to a fairly large constructed stage for the shadow puppetry with the actors welcoming people into the space, making a bit of friendly small talk. Plates located on the seats contain a sprig of lavender, a slice of lemon, and a scent strip labelled as sandalwood and sage. The plate invites us to smell along with Macy, and this is how the three acts of Macy’s life are structured. ‘Smells like Lavender’, ‘Smells like Lemon’, ‘Smells like cologne’, and all culminating in ‘Smells Like You’. It is a gorgeous and heartfelt story about a woman going through her life and all the different moments that stand out to her that are triggered by the smells she comes across.
Smells Like You. Photography by Sophie Minissale.
The show is marketed and built towards people with dementia, the team collaborated with Althea Gordon from Mind The Change to build a show that was accessible and meaningful. You can see the care and work that went into this show, dozens and dozens of different little shadow puppets and fantastic care and craftsmanship ensuring all aspects followed this clear aesthetic they built around a kind of homely feeling.
The performers shine with the care and storytelling shown despite a complete lack of spoken words. Lily Murrell puppets Macy, our main character, and has a gorgeous charm to her that elevates the expression and emotions brought out to the audience. Delaney Brooklyn-Burke and Leah Robyn are the expert puppeteers for all things shown on the screen for the shadow puppetry, the subtlety and expression they bring to the faceless is beautiful and so filled with life and love. With assistance from Clare Testoni and Chloe Flockart the puppets presented are gorgeously crafted and filled with loving detail, the lemon wedges alongside a serving of fish and chips, the piano and trumpet for a duet, the church arches and veil for the wedding, all done with wonderful precision, it makes the simplicity of the story able to ring out with relatable candour.
Smells Like You. Photography by Sophie Minissale.
Sound designer Ben Lawrence has a gorgeously delicate score underpinning the journey of Macy, the main theme repeats each time we jump back to Macy later in life reliving these moments and is just a simple piano melody but brings us back to this anchor of life. Many other memorable moments of the score and how seamlessly they brought out life, and so effective on its own without any script to be placed on top. Lighting designer Jolene Whibly and Assistant designer Jakob Dorst have worked well with the unusual space that is the Kaos Room and utilised effective non-rigged lights to bring out life in the space along with well choreographed dance of switching between real life and lived memories.
While the story is straight forward, the detail and dedication of the creative team and performers brings out the emotional core of the story being told and whilst not being the target audience you feel the journey and history behind the character. Also, can’t neglect to mention the tea cart that gets rolled out at the end, serving coffee, tea, and biscuits, rare to find such a well crafted sense of warmness brought by a show.
Smells Like You is on at The Blue Room Theatre from 17 July – 3 August.