Valley Artists

Date: 21-Jun-10
Author: Peter McCloy

David Williamson writes with a savage wit and a remarkably accurate ear for dialogue, and somehow we are always able to recognise his characters - they're our friends! Director Bob Philippe and Valley Artists introduce us to a few interesting people, and meeting them is a must.

Robyn Nevin credits Williamson with "creating the most hilarious worst marriage ever seen on an Australian stage" in Money and  Friends. Williamson himself says that Vicki and Alex are two of his most outrageous narcissists, second only to Carmela in Influence. They are, he says "a recipe for marital disaster, but that's theatrical fun."

Williamson sees a lot of himself in some of the characters. Stephen is a neurotic who spends his hours "not in delighting in nature's wonders at beautiful Crystal Inlet, he's haunted by fears of creeping dry rot under his deck."

There is an "obsessive and depressive side of Stephen making sure everyone gets the benefit of his wisdom, at length, whether they like it or not."

"My wife Kristin" says Williamson, " hooted with laughter whenever Stephen opened his mouth as she felt she was married to someone quite similar."

However... "I like to think that there is something of me in Peter, the generous man who trustingly went guarantor for his brother whose business then collapsed and left Peter facing bankruptcy. My lack of psychopathic tendencies has, in life, sometimes made me too trusting of others."

Sylvie Drake, Times Theatre Critic, describes some of the other characters:

"Margaret, the outspoken survivor of a tough divorce, serves as our witty tour guide [and introduces us to] the players.

"These dwellers of Crystal Inlet, ‘scared they might miss a trend-shift,' turn out to be tightly knit only by wealth and the dirt they know about each other. Decent and devoted Penny has left her orthopedic surgeon husband, the ‘toxically adversarial' Stephen, a couple of times, but she keeps coming back.

"Crass attorney Alex and wife Vicki love to flaunt status as they bristle up to one another. (‘If there's a social ladder in sight,' Margaret tells us, ‘Vicki will climb it.')

"Television producer Conrad and his pregnant third wife Jaquie reserve their weapons of choice for jousts with Conrad's grown son Justin, who is visiting. This rebel offspring of Wife Number One has the manners of a rhinoceros but a body that has the older women in the group ogling.

"And there you have it: changeless hypocrisy, love, sex, delusion and marriage."

Now that sounds more interesting than Neighbours, doesn't it!

Laguna Hall, July 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10 at 8pm. We recommend you leave the kiddies at home. Bookings at Wollombi and Laguna stores, or through our website at valleyartists.org.

Peter McCloy (from Valley Artists Newsletter - June 2010 )