Things I Know to Be True

Things I Know to Be True is a theatre production produced by Frantic Assembly. It was written by Andrew Bovell and features the music of Nils Frahm. The play is non-naturalistic but features many emotional connections - following the story of the Price Family and their problems.The play is set in Adelaide, Australia, which is where the play first began its tour in May 2016. It subsequently toured the United Kingdom.^[1]

Plot

The plot of Things I Know to Be True follows the story and the many struggles of the Price Family. The play begins with a monologue from Rosie Price (played by Kirsty Oswald) , explaining that she'd been on a European getaway during her gap-year. She reveals that she had met a man called Emanuel while she was in Berlin, but found that he'd run away when she woke up one night - forcing her to return to Australia.

As Rosie returns home, we see the rest of the family come to meet her. While this is all happening, it is revealed that Pip has decided to her husband and two children behind to live in Vancouver; her mother, Fran, disapproves, especially after she found out that Pip had been cheating. Fran is particularly disappointed, as she sates that she saw a lot of herself in Pip. Later in the play, Pip has moved to Vancouver and had written a letter to Fran, finally emotionally connecting with her after a rather abusive childhood. It takes hundreds of miles for the two characters to finally be together emotionally.

In another angle of the plot, the Price's second child, Mia, then presenting as a man and using the name Mark, reveals that she is a transgender woman. This comes as a shock to the rest of the family, with Fran again being particularly displeased. She reveals that he wishes to move to Sydney to begin hormonal therapy. We do not see Mia presenting as a man again, but see her presenting as woman later.

Another sub-plot is that Fran had been saving around $250,000 as a get-out fund for her relationship with Bob, stating that it is "hard to love someone for 30 years straight." She admits to Bob that she once thought of running away - like Pip had just done - but stayed together for the sake of their children. Fran then says that she now saves it for them to treat themselves. She asks Bob where he'd most like to go and he replies Kruger National Park. To his surprise, she agrees to go, yet they never do.

The final sub-plot of this play is centered around the younger son, Ben, and his father, Bob. It all starts when Bob finds a European car parked outside; it turns out to be Ben's and Bob wants to know how he found the money, with Ben answering that he worked hard for it. This appears to be a little detail, until later in the play Ben returns home, sweating and speaking quickly. Rosie is the only person indoors at the time and she realizes quickly that Ben had been taking drugs. Bob and Fran then enter, now even more curious about his money situation. Bob asks Ben what drugs he'd taken, to which Ben replies "it'd be easier to ask which ones he hadn't." Bob then snaps, shouting and swearing at Ben- it is at this moment that Ben reveals that he had been skimming, and that's where he'd retrieved the money for the drugs and flashy car.

As all this is happening, however, tragedy strikes. It is revealed that Fran had been involved in a car crash and was pronounced dead on arrival. She passes away without burying the hatchet with Mia/Mark, emotionally connecting with Pip in person, forgiving Ben and taking Bob to South Africa. The children return to Adelaide to meet Bob and Rosie for Fran's funeral.

Cast and characters

Fran Price (played by Imogen Stubbs)

Fran Price is the mother of the Price Family and is arguably the protagonist of the play. Fran is a senior nurse and is the only working grandparent in the Price Family. During the play, she reveals that she has a secret stash of cash hidden away for post-retirement, but, in a revelation, she revealed that it was originally a 'get-out clause' for her relationship with Bob. During the same speech, she admits that she loved another man, but never slept with him and stuck with Bob for the sake of her children. She has a negative effect on her relationship with her children with many arguments during the play. It is revealed that she died in an MVC in the final scene of the play. Aside from the play, Imogen is perhaps best known for her role in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility.^[2]

Bob Price (played by Ewan Stewart)

Bob Price is the father of the Price Family and is retired. He is perhaps best known for his comedic interruptions in what is otherwise a very sad play, such as asking Fran if she had used his secateurs during a heated argument. Bob is a very keen gardener and a family man. His prized possessions are most probably his children and his roses, which are a subject of a few satirical arguments between him and his wife. Ewan is perhaps best known for his role as First Officer Murdoch in Titanic.^[3]

Rosie Price (played by Kirsty Oswald)

Rosie Price is the youngest daughter of the Price Family, aged 19. She does not know who she wants to be yet, and begins the play stating that she had just come back from a European adventure in Berlin, where she met a man called Emanuel and was walked out on. As she uncertain about her future, Fran and Bob see her as the opportunity to carry on their legacy the way they want to, keeping her close and always in contact. However, she reveals that she wants to move to Brisbane, thus breaking her dad's heart. Kirsty has starred in many theatre productions and has had many small roles in television, such as a role in Doctors.^[4]

Pip Price (played by Natalie Casey)

Pip Price is the eldest daughter in the Price Family, and is an education bureaucrat. She had two daughters with her partner, Steve, but later reveals that she has been cheating on him with another man she met at a conference, who is also married. She feels distanced from her mother as she always felt like she was the least favored sibling, linked to the fact that her mother pulled her hair when she was twelve. She later moves to Vancouver with her newfound love, but has to return home without him when her mother dies. Natalie has played many high profile roles, such as the role of Carol Groves in Hollyoaks and Donna Henshaw in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

Mia Price (played by Matthew Barker)

Mia Price is the second eldest daughter of the Price Family and is an IT Specialist. She is battling being transgender and starts the play in the closet as with the name and gender assigned to her at birth as Mark. Mia had never told her parents in 32 years and it comes as a huge shock to them. She reveals, to Fran and Bob's dismay, that She wishes to move to Sydney for hormonal treatment. She reveals that she has chosen the name "Mia" for herself as Rosie helps her pack. They exchange watches and, at this point, it appears that Rosie is the only one that understands. We do not see Mia presenting as a man again and we only see her presenting as a woman in the end scene, dressed all in black ready for her mother's funeral. They never patched differences. Matthew has previously worked in the hit show The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.^[5]

Ben Price (played by Richard Mylan)

Ben Price is the youngest son in the Price Family. He is a financial services officer. At first he appears to be the dunce of the family, but as you delve further into the play you discover that Bob sees a lot of himself in him. This relationship crumbles, however, as Bob discovers that Ben has been skimming, amounting to a total of $250,000, the two are then involved in a very intense fight scene, removing both characters of their innocence. Richard is best known for his role as the deputy-headteacher Simon Lowsley in Waterloo Road.^[6]

Soundtrack

Like every other Frantic Assembly production, Things I Know to Be True features a prominent soundtrack, this time composed by Nils Frahm. Frahm's pieces, composed especially for the production, have one prominent instrument; the piano. Frahm insures that the piano's chords reflect the mood of the current scene, using minor keys for sadder scenes and slightly jazzier tones for happier ones.

Aside from Frahm's soundtrack, the work of Leonard Cohen is mentioned a number of times, which is particularly prominent as his death occurred just a few days before their first performance at the Chichester Minerva Theatre. His song 'Famous Blue Raincoat' is featured during Pip's letter to Fran, where she explains that it used to be Fran and Bob's song that they loved. Here are the lyrics from Cohen's hit that were adapted to fit the letter:

Inspirations

The following is a list of mediums that Andrew Bovell has named as inspirations when writing, or rehearsing Things I Know to Be True: ^[7]

Critical reception

Things I Know to Be True has widely received good reviews, with the average rating at around three and a half stars out of five.

The Guardian described the Frantic Assembly production as "a pleasure to watch", and the Radio Times stated that "It is a rare thing for a suburban family drama to resonate quite as acutely and uncomfortably as Things I Know to Be True", describing it as an "understated gem".^[8][9] What's On Stage praised Bovell's writing ability as "good on the daily frictions of life".^[10]

References