Australia’s premiere playwright David Williamson has come up with another engrossing, entertaining night at the theatre with his new play WHEN DAD MARRIED FURY currently playing at Kirribilli’s Ensemble Theatre.
When corporate high flyer Alan married Fury the family were furious. Dad had only recently lost his wife and in the time that most men would be grieving Alan had gone off and married Fury, a much younger, brash and buxom American woman who had been, in her younger days, a beauty queen. His two sons, Ian and Ben, were hoping something more from their father than for him to hook up with a potential gold-digger.
Ben’s wife, Laura, was also livid with Alan for the way that he had broken her mother Judy’s heart. At the time of the global financial crisis Alan’s company crashed on the stockmarket. Whilst Alan transferred his money from stocks to cash before the big crash, Judy’s husband had invested, with Alan’s encouragement, all her hard earned savings in the company’s shares. Her husband lost all his money, and then took his own life.
It is fair to say that there’s more acrimony than love in the air when Alan’s 70th birthday family celebrations begin!
A strong ensemble cast, deftly directly by Sandra Bates, make the most of the ensuing, at times funny and and at other times intimidating family fireworks.
In 1972 Nick Tate played Don in the hit 1972 production of DON’S PARTY. Some forty years he gets to play Williamson’s latest protagonist. Tate delivers a striking portrait of a charming, ruthless businessman.
WAAPA graduate Cheree Cassidy impressed as his vivacious new wife.
Jamie Oxenbould and Warren Jones played the chalk and cheese brothers, with Jones playing the pacifying son whilst Oxenbould gets to play fiery. As does Lenore Smith as Jones’s lawyer wife, confidently sprouting her husband’s legal rights. Di Adams has plenty of room to impress in her portrayal of the quirky left wing and idealistic Laura who also gets to display plenty of venom.
Lorraine Bayly, who many readers will remember as Grace Sullivan in the classic Australian television drama THE SULLIVANS, impressed as Laura’s heartbroken mum.
Marissa Dale-Johnson again demonstrates that she is one of Sydney’s most talented set designers with a striking set featuring one hundred, fifty and twenty dollar bills covering the living room walls and furniture.
WHEN DAD MARRIED FURY was almost a sell-out before the show started previewing. A new Williamson play seems to be the closest thing to a sure thing that Australian theatre currently has.
WHEN DAD MARRIED FURY opened at the Ensemble theatre on Wednesday 9th May and plays until Saturday June 16. The season has now been extended to include two extra performances at the inner city Theatre Royal on Friday 22nd June and Saturday 23rd June, 2012.
Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- WHEN DAD MARRIED FURY,David Williamson, Ensemble Theatre, Sandra Bates, Warren Jones, Jamie Oxenbould, Lenore Smith, Di Adams, Lorraine Bayly, Nick Tate, Cheree Cassidy, Marissa Dale-Johnson, Steve Lunam, Sydney Arts Guide, David Kary.
