Dying: A Memoir, at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne - 70 minutes

After a grand, unexpected and memorable opening to the play, Genevieve Morris introduces herself as writer Cory Taylor.

In 2005, just before she turned 50, she was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and, with that, she was given a death sentence.

The way she was told was cold and clinical, a doctor using medical terminology she didn’t understand.

When asked how long she had, the doctor was vague.

Photos by Pia Johnson

He said that while symptoms may be slow to appear at first, then everything could deteriorate in a hurry. And so it turned out to be.

Taylor shared the bad news with her Japanese husband, but not with her two teenage sons, because she wanted to protect them.

She had already had a near death experience a decade earlier.

But Taylor wasn’t the only member of her family going through medical travails.

Just before her 70^th birthday, her mother was diagnosed with dementia and was moved to a Catholic facility to be cared for there.

This is Cory Taylor’s story, based on her book Dying: A Memoir, adapted for the stage by Benjamin Law (a family friend of Taylor’s).

It unfolds with heart and acerbic humour by Morris, who is masterful in the role – never afraid to call a spade a proverbial shovel.

During her performance, she assumes the personas of not just Taylor, but the doctor, a psychologist and several others.

As Taylor, she talks about her feelings, her fears and her frustrations.

Amidst her battle, she tackles the subject of assisted dying.

It is just Morris on stage (save for the appearance of a stagehand at one point) for 70 minutes – pragmatic, friendly and fearsome.

There is honesty, clarity and reality in how she tackles the awkward and sometimes taboo subject of the end of life.

You may well question how there can be laughs when one is told one has the dreaded “C”, but they come quite naturally to Morris.

Her comic sensibilities often bring relief when it is most needed.

She also breaks the fourth wall by effortlessly engaging the audience, more than once.

In fact, before this is over, she poses questions about our approach to death.

To her credit, director Jean Tong gives Morris enough latitude to enable her to put her distinctive stamp on the material.

The set is based around seven chairs (on wheels), initially in a hospital waiting room, but subsequently moved frequently by Morris, depending upon the locale.

Lightning strikes and porcelain artistry, the latter being the interest of Taylor’s Japanese husband, dress the background.

The set and costume designer is James Lew, while lighting designer Rachel Lee reflects differing moods in her work.

The soundscape by composer Darius Kedros takes us to spots of actuality … lived sound that permeates Taylor’s journey.

Dying: A Memoir is a moving and memorable reflection on one of the only certainties in life that many face with understandable trepidation.

It is on at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, until 29^th November, 2025.