A traditional Russian Babushka Doll half-opened revealing a smaller version of the wooden doll inside.
A mother and daughter back to back in blue jackets
A mother and daughter posing together in blue jackets

In Small Doses

Theatre and Physical Theatre • Comedy
Victoria • SA Premiere

This is a true story

A mother flies in to visit her daughter for her 30th birthday. She brings with her a large suitcase with no return ticket home. Unbeknownst to her daughter, The Mother is here to stay ... indefinitely.

"Surprise!"

Mother has broken up with Husband No. 3 and now has nowhere else to live. 

If only this were a suprise. Fast to detect her mother's alterior motives, The Daughter attempts to find a polite way to make her mother leave. Turns out ... there isn't one. 

In Small Doses is a dark comedy about family relations made all the more complex as unique cultural values come into play. Performed by a real mother and daughter, the play maps a series of escalating arguments, each one more thrilling then the last ... for, isn't 'arguing' a type of love-language?

Presented by: Maroussia Vladi

Maroussia Vladi invites her very own mother, Youlia Alexander on stage to play out their real life drama. Some might say they've been rehearsing 'In Small Doses' for over thirty years. Their relationship is so dramatic, they decided the stage was the only place for it.

Both 'drama queens', Maroussia is a professional, her mother: the inspiration.

Growing up in Soviet Russia, Youlia had two dreams:

1) To be a famous actress.
2) To immigrate.

She hasn't achieved the 1st (yet), but she did achieve the 2nd.

It was then up to her daughter, Maroussia, to pursue the stage which she did willingly. Maroussia studied at Flinders University Drama Centre and at Ecole Jacques Lecoq. She's lived in Paris, London and New York as a performer ... with frequent visits from her mother.

Reviews & Fringefeed Reacts

  • Hidden Gem 2
  • The situations are painfully recognisable, prompting equal parts of laughter and cringe. - Mark Wickett, Stage Whispers

  • Delightfully, actors Alexander & Vladi are mother and daughter in real-life, which explains their very real chemistry. - Jo Laidlaw, The List

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