Category: Christopher Hurrell

Neglected Musicals presents VARIATIONS – The Musical by Nick Enright and Terry Clarke at Theatre 19 (ex-Darlinghurst Theatre), Potts Point. VARIATIONS – The Musical, Book and Lyrics by Nick Enright. Music by Terry Clarke. This is the ninth neglected musical presented by this company, and the first Australian work. It was quite a thrill to have the composer, Terry Clarke present, and to understand that he was an active assistant to this staged reading of the work. The original production of VARIATIONS was directed by John Bell and played at the Nimrod from December 2, 1982 – January 8, 1983…

“Oh I love the world! I love love love love the world.” Later. “I love the world. I know how that sounds, inexcusable and vague, but it’s all I can say for myself, I love the world, really I do….. LOVE” Later still… “The dust of Kabul’s blowing soil smarts lightly in my eyes, but I love her, for knowledge and love both come from her dust.” Homebody speaks to us for almost 40 minutes. She then disappears and her knowledge and love become part of the dust of Kabul and Mr Kushner leaves one with ones eyes smarting lightly…

At the Darlinghurst Theatre – a co-op space – I saw a new Australian play, The World Premiere of MEN, LOVE AND THE MONKEYBOY by Caleb Lewis. The Ape and Homo Sapiens shares 97% of the same DNA. The play tells us this early on. We then see the other 3% acted out, mostly men and women behaving badly. The Direction (Christopher Hurrell) is not good or when I saw it, late in the season, the actors had lost discipline. The Design is not very useful and the staging is adequate. The Acting style is pitched somewhere between Television Situation…