Williamson continues his analysis of family life. This time his portrait is set in the colourful world of the law. A legal aid solicitor and a prominent barrister battle over their individual careers and the future of their teenage son. Painfully they learn that justice has a number of guises and that the young are occasionally wiser than their parents.
Simone Allen likes to see herself as a prophet rather than a parasite, but when given the opportunity to sell one of the better Brett Whiteley paintings, her behaviour becomes less than angelic. Driven by greed and aesthetics, Williamson’s characters discover how far they will go when more than just a beautiful work of art is up for grabs in this sexy comedy of manners.
Corporate Vibes
Sam, a real estate developer, is accustomed to getting his own way, usually by shouting. When his staff mutiny, he finds himself confronted by a softly-spoken mediator and a demand …
This volume shows a consolidation and maturing of Williamson’s style. Although he retains his satirical edge, there is a marked move from the domestic and personal dilemmas explored in the earlier plays to a focus on the public domain. Private desires and public issues are subtly compared and contrasted.
The Department
A staff meeting of the Engineering Department in a College of Advanced Education is the occasion in this play for an acute dissection of the workings of bureaucracy and the absurd politicking needed to support it.
One of Australia’s Living National Treasures and its best known and most widely performed playwright, David Williamson brings us five of his latest works. Now in his 70s, age has not wearied him, and indeed this collection exemplifies Williamson’s uncanny ability to be timely, relevant and thoroughly modern.
As director Sandra Bates notes in her introduction Williamson is unique in Australian theatre because of ‘his ability to see and understand Australia’s current circumstances, our society’s circumstances right here, right now; indeed to be ahead of what is current’.
At Any Cost?
Deals with delicate end-of-life issues, and the huge costs …