There's a lot to admire about this play. Williamson's stage craft was very assured at this stage - it takes place in real time, the conflict is solid, all the characters are different. There's a sulky son, a feminist second wife who was once into orgies, a satyr like painter, a Keating like pollie, a blousy working class first wife, a sexy journo... There are some cracker lines (such as Australia's sixties not happening to the seventies but being the best seventies there were), and it's heart is in the right place.
It just felt a bit overly simplistic. The sixties were great, Whitlam was great, the Labor Party sold out, we suck up to Indonesians. The arguments felt a little dinner party-esque - the characters felt thin as a result. Like they needed another dimension or twist or something. I enjoyed it's craft, just felt maybe Bob Ellis does this stuff better.
No comments:
Post a Comment