The Wives of Hemingway

‘The Wives of Hemingway’ is presented by the multi-award winning, WA independent theatre companies, Side Pony Productions and Weeping Spoon Productions.

The first thing to realise is that this play has virtually nothing – or extremely little – to do with the actual Hemingway romances. Devised by Eden Falk, the zany script was developed and written by the director, cast and Wyatt Nixon Lloyd around Hemingway’s attitude to women and sex.

This hilarious, off-the-planet Havana Special, with a duration of 1 hour 10 minutes, is well worth seeing. It is being performed outside, at the rear of the North Perth Bowls Club, Woodville Reserve, 23 Farmer Street, North Perth.  The performances start at 7.30 pm.

The clever, beautifully designed set, built by Nate Nisbet is on two levels with separate minor sets in the wings. The convincing overall effect is that of an exotic, tropical estate.

          The era is just after the Second World War, and an old Volvo (yes this is anachronistic – but who cares?) comes to a halt, and a suave, lithe young man, Wilson (Tim Watts), dressed in a safari suit demounts. He pushes aside his sexy wisp of hair (the hair cut has been described as a ‘Will O’Mahony’) and Wilson enters the home of an old war friend, Teddy (Josh Price).

        Whilst sharing a drink of champagne, Wilson decides that this podgy, wheezing man doesn’t deserve his living dream of a wife, Catherine (Adriane Daff) – so Wilson kills Teddy and claims Catherine for himself.

         So starts the sordid exploits of Wilson and Catherine, their numerous adventures and shocking love affairs.

This is a dark comedy with many belly laughs. The presentation by these three very talented actors is in the style of ‘Brief Encounter’ or other such romances of the time. I found myself with a permanent, large grin on my face, just shaking my head at the antics that were enacted.

Josh, is an amazingly talented, WA actor, who has spent the last few years over east in plays and TV ranging from comedy to Shakespeare. Tim, who is literally known worldwide for his puppetry at last gets a chance to act again. His depiction of this debonair, carefree romantic is wonderful, and he is perfectly matched with Adriane, the straight-faced lover with many strange burning desires.

The ingenious technical effects created by John Pepper and Chris Isaacs are amazing. Outdoor lighting can be notoriously difficult to create, but here Chris has perfectly produced everything from a party ambience, to a wild car journey and a tense, threatening atmosphere.

If you thought ‘Manic Pony’ and ‘The Pride’ were madcap, wait until you see this wacky, chaotic show. Director Zoë and producer sister Gemma are both a little shy on meeting, but they have given Perth some wonderful productions in the past. This play’s direction was filled with imagination and poked more than a little fun at the cinema’s 1940’s romantic masterpieces.

This is bound to be one of the most talked about plays of the festival. Professional, crazy and a definite MUST.