2007 Shows

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SHOWS 2007
THE NO CHANCE IN HELL HOTEL
4 January - 3 February 2007 The Special Encore Season of THE NO CHANCE IN HELL HOTEL By Kate Smith and Drew Fairley “Hilarious…deeply silly… terrific, crowd-pleasing entertainment” - SMH The No Chance in Hell Hotel is the latest razor-sharp offering by Smith and Fairley, creators of the international smash hit comedy Bangers and Mash. This flawless, nail-biting comedy thriller, set in the backstreets of Kings Cross, subverts the cop/ love story genre with panache and pizzazz. Diane, a lonely woman on the run from love, struggles to keep the last dive bar in the Cross afloat. Jack, an alcoholic ex-advertising executive needs a change and gets a job as the new barman. When Diane is kidnapped, Sarge, a jaded cop with 20 years on the job and nothing left to lose, realises this could be the case to save him from oblivion. His fresh-faced rookie partner is desperate to avenge the death of her father and prove herself to her acid- tongued boss. Together they set out to blow the case wide open. What will they do when destiny dances with desperation and deceit? Will they end up paying the price …for believing? The No Chance in Hell Hotel slips effortlessly between physical comedy, song, dance and jaw-dropping plot twists – think Fame meets CSI - leaving the audience slapping their thighs and roaring for more. “Filled with one-liners…wildly hilarious and entertaining” - Vibewire.com Starring Kate Smith and Drew Fairley Directed by Jo Turner Set Design by Leonie Evans Lighting Design by Luiz Pampolha Sound Design/ Composed by Ross Johnston Stage Managed by Sarah Versitano
BOSTON MARRIAGE
7 February - 24 February 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Gaiety Theatre in association with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2007 present BOSTON MARRIAGE By David Mamet By arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of Dramatists Play Service Inc New York "Devastatingly funny ... exceptionally clever." -The New York Times Today debate rages over gay marriage, but in the 19th Century, a Boston Marriage was the accepted term for two women who lived together, independent of men. Anna and Claire are two outrageously arrogant women on the fringes of upper class, fin-de-siecle society. United against the tyranny of men in a Boston Marriage, Anna accepts expensive gifts from a wealthy married man while Claire attempts the seduction of a younger woman with Anna as her accomplice. Lashings of irony, sarcasm, ribaldry and levity abound, endemic of any long surviving unity of two. "[Mamet's characters] are at each other's throats with a wit akin to characters out of Wilde and a vengeance not unlike those from Pinter, Edward Albee, or Mamet himself." -The Boston Globe Featuring Di Smith (The Great Outdoors), Amanda Bishop (Losing Louis) and Sarah Grenfell (Fallen Angels). Directed by Stephen Colyer Design by Iris Holstein Lighting by Chris Twyman Costumes by Paul Warren Image by Patrick Jones
A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG
28 February - 24 March 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Whoosh Productions and Bar Europa present A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG By Peter Nichols Drifting between the sacred and profane A Day In The Death of Joe Egg is part recital, part vaudeville, part tragedy, part black comedy but always courageous and heartfelt. Bri and Sheila are a young married couple whose relationship is collapsing under the strain of caring for their disabled daughter, Joe, nicknamed "Joe Egg". Bri, after ten years caring for Joe, working in a dead end teaching job and slowly slipping away from his once vivacious wife, is just about at the end of his tether... and beginning to contemplate the unthinkable. "Every cloud has a jet-black lining" - Bri Forty years after it's world premiere this thought-provoking and funny classic of the English theatre still packs a punch, as justified by its inclusion in the National Theatres' list of 100 Most Significant Plays of the Twentieth Century. "In the world of Bri, Sheila and Joe, fantasy can become reality can become fantastic, with humanity - all it's levity and frailty included - the driving force behind it all." -Talkin Broadway Featuring Jonathan Gavin, Julia Davis, Kate Worsley, Drew Fairley, Susannah Hardy and Genevieve Mooy Directed by Kim Hardwick Production design by Alex Sommer Lighting Designer Martin Kinnane Assistant lighting designer Sian James-Holland Composer Phillip Scott Graphic Design Sensory Creative Photography Criena Court
LOVE'S TRIUMPH
28 March - 21 April 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and The Muldoon Wing present LOVE’S TRIUMPH By Terence Crawford Edwina Brumble (Garry Scale) is the Queen of Kings Cross, a colourful business identity and proprietor of The Love Palace. She's about to lose her top girl to cupid’s arrow, a pile of her money to an unlikely nag in the 4th race at Randwick, and her only daughter to a country bumpkin. On top of all that, tough and hard-hearted Edwina Brumble is experiencing “romantic feelings”... for a bent copper of all people! Could things possibly get any worse? Riddled with colloquialisms and a barrage of terrific gags, Terence Crawford has crafted one of the most original, charming and uplifting comedies you are ever likely to see. Played on an extraordinary set inspired by a comic book version of 1960’s Sydney, Love’s Triumph has a big heart and a twinkle in its eye. Prepare to fall in love with theatre again! “… a gleefully funny and vastly entertaining romp....a grouse example of defiantly local and slightly scurrilous comedy, beautifully acted.” - Stephen Dunne, Sydney Morning Herald “A triumph is right. Terence Crawford's 'Loves Triumph' is consistently funny, utterly charming and sneakily clever.” -Tim Benzie, Sun Herald Featuring Garry Scale, Mark Owen Taylor, Megan Drury, Andrew James, Rob Thomas, Damion Hunter, Pearl Tan and Robert Woodhead Directed by Brendon McDonall Set and Costume Design by James Browne Lighting Design by Luiz Pampolha Produced and Production Managed by Louise Teteris Assistant Produced by Katie Millington Graphic Design by Sensory Creative
CITY FOR SALE
2 May - 26 May 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Veneer Productions present CITY FOR SALE By Tim Bosanquet ....Open For Inspection! ....A Rare Opportunity! ....A Renovators Dream! Mortgages are like bum cracks, everybody’s got one… From the writer of the smash hit political satire Meet The Candidates. City For Sale is an hilarious satire about Sydney-siders’ out of control love affair with real estate. The Sydney property market has never been so scary…. Set sometime in the not too distant future, Sydney has become a feudal system where only people who own property in trendy and slick inner city suburbs have full citizenship rights. In this brave new greedy world, instead of a government, Sydney is now run by a frightening organisation called The Mortgage Council. Everyone’s desperate to crack the property market but get ready to sell your soul, your grandmother and any assets you might have. Two rival real estate agencies – Caroline van der Grooet (a South African expat with a shady past) and Joan Churchill (a chic Double Bay agent) have been bitter enemies for years. It’s a fight for survival where the winner claims the domain and the loser will have to succumb to a life of renting in the boondocks. City For Sale is a very funny look at the Sydney property market – the tricks, the billboards and the miniscule harbour glimpses. Featuring: Sara Browne, Ben Brock, Louise Fischer, Barry French, Marianne Frizelle, Stephen Matthews, Sandra Stockley Directed by Helen Tonkin Production Managed by Jess Belamy Lighting Design by Stella Blay Set Design by Barry French Photography by Tom Evangelidis Graphic Design by Emma Lee Crane
NEVER SWIM ALONE AND THIS IS A PLAY
31 May - 23 June 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Michaela Kalowski and RedshiftDG present NEVER SWIM ALONE & THIS IS A PLAY Two great comedies by Daniel MacIvor Never Swim Alone Meet Frank and Bill, two highly competitive businessmen. In a series of bouts the two men battle it out for the titles like ‘Who Falls Dead The Best’, ‘Best Power Lunch’ and ‘Who Has the Hottest Wife’. Never Swim Alone is a comedic battle through the dangerous terrain of masculine bravado, a sparring match between two suited men (Tim Major, Michael Howlett) refereed by a beautiful woman (Lotte St Clair), who holds a secret from their past. As their competition becomes more desperate, the deeper reasons for their strange rivalry are revealed. "Ingenious, whimsical, a lyrical lunacy in the writing…a theatre experience comedy you might associate with Stoppard"- The Globe and Mail This Is A Play Actors are strange creatures – audiences often forget that inside each actor is someone desperately trying to remember their next line, compose a mental shopping list or falling for their fellow lead. In This Is A Play we meet an ingénue starlet (Lotte St Clair), an embittered older actress with a heart of gold (Janine Penfold) and a young actor (Neil Phipps) who psyches himself into each entrance by “…thinking of De Niro”. Peek backstage in this clever comedy that exposes the divas, dramas and dilemmas of show business. Two award winning plays exclusively adapted for the Australian stage Featuring Lotte St Clair, Tim Major, Neil Phipps, Michael Howlett, and Janine Penfold Director John Kachoyan Producers Michaela Kalowski, Isabella Blackburne & Jeff Forrest Designer Dani Gilbert
DYING CITY
27 June - 21 July 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Gaiety Theatre present DYING CITY By Christopher Shinn "It's not often that you leave a theatre and want to walk straight back in and watch the play again but that's the effect of Christopher Shinn's Dying City" - The Metro (London) After hit seasons at The Royal Court Theatre in London and the Lincoln Center Theater in New York, Dying City makes its way to Sydney for its Australian premiere. A soldier shoots himself, but why? For his wife, Kelly, and gay twin brother, Peter, politics and the intensely personal collide in this gripping drama. One evening, Peter, a professional actor, is driven from the theatre, mid performance, by homophobic taunts from a fellow actor. His sudden intrusion on Kelly, at her New York apartment, forces her to face an untidy past, and the truth about her dead husband, Craig. Baghdad is a dying city but in leading cities throughout the world, acts of emotional terrorism are enacted daily. "A TRANSFIXING TALE! SEE IT! A crafty and unsettling new play by Christopher Shinn who is among the most provocative and probing of American playwrights today." - The New York Times From the director who brought you the sell out sensations Boston Marriage and Fit To Be Tied comes this exciting production. Starring Saskia Smith from Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Tom O’Sullivan, soon to be featured in ABC TV’s new drama Rain Shadow. “Dying City's the finest new American play I've seen in a long while.” -The Observer Featuring Tom O’Sullivan and Saskia Smith Director Stephen Colyer Designer Imogen Ross Lighting Designer Gavan Swift Music Jeremy Brennan
DINNER WITH FRIENDS
25 July - 18 August 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Fishy Productions present The Pulitzer Prize winning play DINNER WITH FRIENDS By Donald Margulies The box office smash hit of 2006 returns! Dinner with Friends follows two married couples who have been best friends for years. Food journalists, Karen and Gabe's lives are as carefully composed as their lemon polenta cake. But their lives are thrown upside down when one night a close friend arrives to dinner with a life-changing secret, a secret that rocks the delicate balance between love and friendship. A humorous and truthful look at food, family and the fall-out that deception and break-ups can cause. "With this well-acted, seamless play, Fishy Productions have raised some polarising questions worth chewing over at your next dinner party." - Sydney Stage Online "This performance of Donald Margulies' Pulitzer-prize winning play is solid, being well-directed and well-acted... tremendous stage presence, evoking empathy and fascination...a real pleasure to watch" – Vibewire “…an honest, compelling…funny look at family and friends in the age of divorce.” – Times Standard If you missed out the first time, now is your chance to see this hit play. Featuring Rebecca Rocheford Davies, Antony Grgas, David Terry and Rachel Terry Director Kim Hardwick Set Designer Mark Thompson Lighting Designer Martin Kinnane Stage Manager Kate Williams Photography/ Graphic Design Sensory Creative Bamboo Flooring by Style Plantation
PUGILIST SPECIALIST
22 August - 15 September 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Flightpath present Winner of Edinburgh Fringe First Award for best new writing PUGILIST SPECIALIST By Adriano Shaplin If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success… From the director and design team behind the hit production The Young Tycoons, comes the award winning comedy Pugilist Specialist. This superbly crafted satire follows a crack team of US marines as they plan the assassination of a moustachioed Middle Eastern dictator, code-named... “the bearded lady”. Bursting at the seams with bayonet sharp dialogue and laced with black comedy, Pugilist Specialist is the Dr Strangelove of our times - A rapid fire thrill ride that explores the moral ambiguity of modern warfare. “Sharp, funny, evocative and distinctly original” - San Francisco Chronicle “engrossing, inventive... bound to send the audience out talking.” - New York Times Director Michael Pigott Production Design Katja Handt Lighting Design Stephen Hawker Featuring Angela Bauer, Michael Denkha, Sam Haft and James Lugton
THE MEMORY OF WATER
18 - 22 September 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Whoosh Productions and Critical Stages present THE MEMORY OF WATER By Shelagh Stephenson Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2000 and voted UK ‘Play of the Year’ in 2001. One of Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s most beloved productions, The Memory of Water, returns for ONE WEEK ONLY, as part of it’s New South Wales tour with Critical Stages. Critical Stages tours outstanding Independent Theatre and especially selected The Memory of Water from hundreds of independent productions across Australia. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the big hearted and bittersweet exploration of family and memory by one of the UK’s best playwrights, Shelagh Stephenson. Trapped by a snow-storm in the hours before their mother’s funeral, three adult sisters endure a bickering, very humorous and unsettling reunion as each of their memories compete for authenticity; Teresa, the ‘martyr’ and caregiver; Mary the classic over-achiever; and Catherine the wayward daughter. The Memory of Water is an inspiring tale that reveals the many ways in which a death in the family uncovers the absurdity of life. “Stephenson’s skill for dialogue is immaculate... The Memory of Water is sublime” - The Program “…It’s not difficult to see why its has become something of a worldwide phenomenon.” - Sun Herald (Sydney) Featuring Andrew Crowley, Sandra Eldridge, Catherine Moore, Drayton Morley, Melle Stewart & Wendy Strehlow Director Kim Hardwick Set & Costume Designer Jo Briscoe Lighting Designer Martin Kinnane Graphic Designer Sensory Creative Photography Criena Court and Cameron Baird
AN UNFORTUNATE WOMAN
2 October - 27 October 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Critical Stages present THE SELL OUT PRODUCTION OF SIX INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS AN UNFORTUNATE WOMAN Written and Performed by Nicola Gunn “The international bar for breathtaking transformation is set by Australia's amazing Nicola Gunn.... No one does what Gunn does... mesmerizing." -Edmonton Journal, Canada "Breathtaking... The only problem is that you won't be able to get tickets to go twice."- NOW Toronto "A work of art. This ethereal performance will stay with you for days." -Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Darlinghurst Theatre Company is proud to present An Unfortunate Woman, the sellout hit show of Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Toronto Festival, Winnipeg Festival and Edmonton Fringe Festivals and UNO Festival Canada. “Amazing...its funny, its heart breaking, it should be on everyone’s list.” -Toronto Star An Unfortunate Woman is a beautiful tale told with warmth and subversive comedy about the story of three separate lives that eventually collide. It is a mystery, a love story and a quest. Nicola Gunn’s masterful performance sets forth a gallery of characters in a world reminiscent of Dickens and Kafka. An invitation to a party and an unregistered file at the Registry of Births and Deaths sets a series of events in motion emerging through an imperceptible accumulation of scenes that result in a thrilling climax. Written and Performed by Nicola Gunn Lighting Designer Gwendolyna Holmberg-Gilchrist Sound Design Neddwellyn Jones Graphic Design Sensory Creative
ONE MORE THAN ONE
3 October - 20 October 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Atypical Theatre Company and KidsTheseDays present ONE MORE THAN ONE Devised & featuring Emma J Hawkins & Keith Lim WINNER OF BEST OF FRINGE – Brisbane 2006 “A rare moment of perfection in theatre” – Sydney Morning Herald A no-holds-barred relationship that transcends boundaries. One More Than One is a compelling and beautiful production with moments of true tenderness that will leave you breathless. It masterfully incorporates fascinating physical performance, film imagery and a provocative soundscape. A man and a woman search online for the ultimate connection. She is a short statured feisty redhead, searching for the perfect mate.... He is a 6ft Asian, computer gamer, boxed in and a slave to his next adrenalin rush. They communicate, interact... then they engage. While pushing each other's buttons is fun, is it a substitute for true contact? "Their energy and passion is electric. It’s hard to blink” - Scene Magazine Director Nikki Heywood Composer Jon Creenaune Consultants Chris Ryan, Lee Wilson, Rowan Marchingo
LESSONS IN FLIGHT
31 October - 24 November 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Frederick Copperwaite present LESSONS IN FLIGHT by Maryanne Sam A new Indigenous Australian play Lessons in Flight by celebrated indigenous playwright Maryanne Sam is a beautiful, gentle, gutsy play that casts a fresh eye over the contemporary indigenous urban experience. Two wildly different sisters, Menan, shy and conservative and Rita, outgoing and unpredictable, haven’t spoken in years. Now in hospital with a life threatening illness, Menan looks back on a life full of regret and lost opportunities when out of the blue, the outrageous Rita shows up, turning everything on its head. Featured at the 3rd Victorian Indigenous Playwrights’ Conference 2003, the Australian National Playwrights’ Conference 2005 and the World Indigenous Theatre Reading which will be held in New York in December of this year, Lessons in Flight is a story not often told on the Australian stage. Featuring Kyas Sherriff, Kylie Coolwell and Matt Edgerton Director Frederick Copperwaite Design Jacob Nash Lighting Design Sean Pardy Production Amanda Bishop & Lily Shearer Publicity Sara Grenfell Graphic Design and Photography Nairn Scott
THE BEE
28 November - 15 December 2007 Darlinghurst Theatre Company and MoFuCoSu present THE BEE by Hideki Noda and Colin Teevan Based on the original story Mushiriai (Plucking at Each Other) by Yasutaka Tsutsui “...the evening swings from hyperactive satire to thought-provoking nightmare... Make a beeline for it.” The Guardian “Sinister and entertaining… The Bee, is a brutal tale of bitter revenge, quite unlike anything else. Highly recommended.” musicOMH.com “The everyday and the bizarre, the real and the surreal become as mangled as a bowl of noodles." The Guardian A stinging bee may hurt the creature that threatens it, but in the process destroys itself... What would you do if your family were being held hostage be an escaped criminal? Your house besieged by cameras and reporters, the world demanding to know how you feel? When Mr Ido arrives home on his son’s birthday, he discovers that Ogoro, an escaped convict, has taken his wife and child hostage inside his home. Bamboozled by the media, yet finding the police response to be somewhat apathetic, Mr Ido decides to take matters into his own hands. He enters the home of Ogoro’s wife and son and begins to conduct his own form of ‘negotiation’ using Ogoro’s family as leverage. The Bee is an erotic and bloody exploration of vengeance and the hunger for ultimate supremacy. "This is a highly unusual theatrical gem; part slapstick comedy, part satire, part macabre dance." Time Out London Featuring Lucy Bath, Simon Corfield, John Pollitt, Kim Talyor & Tim Walter Director Sarah Enright Designer Andy McDonell Sound Hayley Forward Lighting Sean Pardy Producer MoFuCoSu Photography Jordan Graham Graphic Design Eskimo