Don's Party
Sun, 7 Oct 2007, 09:51 pmstinger1 post in thread
Don's Party
Sun, 7 Oct 2007, 09:51 pmI caught the last night of this UDS production at the Dolphin (UWA) last night. It was quite an unexpected delight. I only wish I had taken my kids to see it.
Not that it is a kids show at all, in fact the language was more than occasionally coarse and the themes probably in the 'mature adult' category - but then I am not talking about LITTLE kids! Nor am I talking about kids who have been born in the almost 40 years since the play was written. I am talking about kids born in the last 20 years, like most of the cast members.
As someone who lived through the 1969 Federal Election as a 19 year old 'child', desperately hoping Labour (as it then was) would get in and repeal the National Service Act before I turned 20 and had to go and fight Communists in South Vietnam, it was interesting to hear the rhetoric of the time from the point of view of the 'Williamsonian Intelligentsia'. I was a bit surprised that the 'Iraq of the 1960s' War didn't crack a mention though. I was also a bit shocked at the apparently acceptable sexism of the characters, although I accept that this was early in the feminist revolution and Williamson had his own point to make in that respect.
Getting back to the cast - I thought they did bring a freshness to this script, were all very convincing in their characters and displayed plenty of artistic generosity toward each other, something not so common in more mature, let alone young actors. Set, light and sound design were all commendably executed as well.
stingerSun, 7 Oct 2007, 09:51 pm
I caught the last night of this UDS production at the Dolphin (UWA) last night. It was quite an unexpected delight. I only wish I had taken my kids to see it.
Not that it is a kids show at all, in fact the language was more than occasionally coarse and the themes probably in the 'mature adult' category - but then I am not talking about LITTLE kids! Nor am I talking about kids who have been born in the almost 40 years since the play was written. I am talking about kids born in the last 20 years, like most of the cast members.
As someone who lived through the 1969 Federal Election as a 19 year old 'child', desperately hoping Labour (as it then was) would get in and repeal the National Service Act before I turned 20 and had to go and fight Communists in South Vietnam, it was interesting to hear the rhetoric of the time from the point of view of the 'Williamsonian Intelligentsia'. I was a bit surprised that the 'Iraq of the 1960s' War didn't crack a mention though. I was also a bit shocked at the apparently acceptable sexism of the characters, although I accept that this was early in the feminist revolution and Williamson had his own point to make in that respect.
Getting back to the cast - I thought they did bring a freshness to this script, were all very convincing in their characters and displayed plenty of artistic generosity toward each other, something not so common in more mature, let alone young actors. Set, light and sound design were all commendably executed as well.