I'm not a mom but I work with adults who have developmental
disabilities so I can completely empathize with the kind of stresses and
sadness and joy that Maxine shares in her Soul
performance. I love the people I
work with, and I get a chance to miss them on my days off. Parents raising special needs people
don't get a break from it, a chance to put it all in perspective, to take some
time for themselves and recharge their batteries. Maxine has created her own space with this show, and within
that space she tells a story of struggle and survival.
Ironically, it's a story from a former American (I presume,
from what she said about her mom being in Miami) who butts heads with the
Canadian health care system.
Maxine tells us about doctors who offer valium as a coping mechanism, an
existentialist chiropractor (nice for philosophizing, perhaps, but not very
practical), and various health care providers she didn't hire, or soon let
go.
Maxine incorporates song, including some of her own, and
images of her children. We feels
as if we're treasured friends, sitting over coffee or a beer, listening to her
plight, sharing her burden, holding her hand.
This is a story about unconditional love, survival, and the
need for all of us to examine the ways our tax dollars are being used - and
misused - in what's often touted as one of the best health care systems in the
world. It begs the question ...
what happens to mothers with disabled children who can't afford to hire the
help they need?
See Soul at Venue 1 - the Victoria Event Centre - Saturday the 5th at 8:30 pm or Sunday the 6th at 2:45 pm
