Book Review Written By: Christine Moffat

Position: Arts Journalist

Publisher: Arts In The City

Dated: November 2006

This is a diverse, yet cohesive group of seven plays. Varied themes are visited, and sometimes violently exposed by the author. Their single voice is created by the chipped rhythmic dialogue and the author's fascination with the Aussie vernacular. Dialogue in The Mechanics is strangely echoed and twisted in Champagne Ladies, and again in A Couple Of S.N.A.G.s.

The author has worked hard to explore the one-act genre. His style swings from the Oscar Wilde inspired romance of Fergus' Envy to The Chicks, a more verbally pornographic Sex in the City set in a shopping centre near you.

The sensitive and contemplative mood in Disturbing Mavis causes it to stand out as the work of most depth in this collection. Its quiet style reads far more naturalistically than the other plays. The Stair is a broad comedy of errors and bureaucracy that asks a lot more of the reader (and any potential audience) with its sea of numbers and cyclical dialogue. This is a stark contract to the simplicity and stillness of Disturbing Mavis, which would present a magnetic scene once staged ...more

 

Download original PDF version.