Sometimes, life throws a reminder that as we age, each day with living parents is a gift. When time is limited, it’s important to live every remaining day to the fullest, and never forget that the time we have with our parents and loved ones, is limited.
To the Hilt Productions’ Dear Jax is a one-man show written and performed by Stephen Maclean Rogers, sharing the experience of supporting a mother affected by Aphasia and Dementia, from symptoms through diagnosis and death.
Susan Maclean (Stephen’s mother) was a writer, working professionally in communications. In addition to writing as part of her profession, she was big on writing letters, to someone named “Jax”. She would write to Jax for advice on a regular basis, always starting the letter with “Please protect this inquiring mind from any harmful or negative effects of whatever kind and whatever source”. Even more special, was that after writing a letter to Jax, she would meditate into a trance, and respond to her own letter, as Jax. Life has a very strange way of happening in that when it comes to illness and health, even the most communicative and expressive of us, can go silent. Once someone is diagnosed with Asphasia, the average progression time of the illness until death is 8 years.
Maclean Rogers’ sharing of the time spent with his mom as she tried to communicate with others, learning to accept her illness, and face new obstacles. This included learning how and when to embrace and when to fill silence with his mom and finding other ways to communicate and overcoming the invisible communication barriers, was nothing short of beautiful. A professional Montreal-based actor, Stephen’s portrayal and re-visiting of his experience in supporting his mom as the illness advanced was sensitive, raw, emotional, and his own personal strength shown throughout the show was genuine.
There are many things that happen when a loved one is alive but nearing the end of their life, that we never imagine we would have to do. These things include selling a parent’s home, cancelling their phone, credit cards and so much more when designated as their main caretaker. Dear Jax shares the pain, learning, mom-son bond and Stephen’s growth from the whole experience with the audience. For audience members who have had family members face illnesses and combat against death, this show is very relatable and hits very close to home.
During the performance, the spectacular sound design added an additional dimension to the one-man show, effectively relaying the unimaginable difficulty a son goes through in caring for his ailing mother.
Without even having known Susan personally, there was not a dry eye in the room after the lights came up, and no one left right away. From Maclean Rogers’ storytelling, we all felt the emotional grief, reflecting as if it was our own mother through that story. After the lights came up at the end of the show, the entire audience remained quietly in their seats, emotionally digesting what they watched over the past hour.
Dear Jax was directed by Jean-Marc Leblanc with beautiful original ambient music and indie-folk background settings throughout the show recorded by guitarist Jason Field. The production is a must-see during this year’s Montreal Fringe Festival, and although it is a very emotional and powerful experience, it is by-far one of the most eye-opening and life-changing productions at this year’s Fringe.
Dear Jax runs until June 16 as part of the St. Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival at Le Ministere. Tickets are available at www.montrealfringe.ca or by calling 514-849-FEST (3378)
