Twigs That Never Took

Written and performed by Donna De Palma, Twigs That Never Took is a one-person drama. De Palma spends the majority of its 60 minutes wearing a full bridal gown with a lengthy train. Ostensibly she’s getting ready to walk down the aisle, but the absence of an entourage is the first sign we might not be in for a tale of blissful romance. 

As the piece unravels, we find out this character has been married before. Twice, in fact. The first ended in devastation and the second kind of fizzled out, although the couple remain friends. 

De Palma’s character grapples with the societal pressures on women to always be with someone and to measure happiness based on the success of their relationships. She also butts heads with the standards of beauty imposed on women and the agonies women are expected to grapple with ahead of their big day.

These include going all Aerobics Oz Style, adopting a water and kale diet and submitting to a full-body Donald Trump tan. None of it’s satisfactory, however, and nothing compensates for the lingering feeling of inadequacy the character feels. 

The action flips from Melbourne to Italy where the Contessas, a pair of Sicilian sisters, provide an image of female independence. In the play’s strangest detour, the lights go out and De Palma exposes her fondness for puppetry as a cat on heat takes up the narration. 

De Palma holds it all together seamlessly – a feat of genuine merit given she’s the sole cast member. The thematic substance is thought-provoking and sadly resonant. But the script is a little too reliant on familiar tropes and fails to engender a deep affection for the character.