Classic play back on Sydney stage
Listed by London’s National Theatre as one of the most significant plays of the 20th Century, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg written by celebrated English playwright Peter Nichols is a brilliant black comedy set in 1960s Britain.
Listed by London’s National Theatre as one of the most significant plays of the 20th Century, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg written by celebrated English playwright Peter Nichols is a brilliant black comedy set in 1960s Britain.
Sydney audiences will welcome this Critical Stages and White Box Theatre production fresh from an extensive national tour, when it comes to the Seymour Centre from October 21.
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg tells the story of young married couple Brian (Jonathan Gavin) and Sheila (Julia Davis) who are struggling to save their marriage whilst raising their daughter, nicknamed ‘Joe Egg’. Living by the rule that if you don’t laugh you’ll cry, it’s fortunate that Bri is a natural born entertainer. But one fateful night brings the arrival of unwanted friends with unwanted advice and Bri’s funny lounge room antics begin to unravel, revealing something much more sinister.
This award-winning play defines late-60s British theatre. Premiering at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow in 1967 before transferring to London’s West End and then onto Broadway, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg smashes taboos and the boundaries of good taste in equal measure.
Playwright Nichols uses his own experiences as the father of a child with cerebral palsy to form the basis of a courageous and truly revealing play. Highly entertaining and insightful, the story is infused with a terrible, beautiful and touching honesty that exposes the full gamut of emotional responses disability can incite.
“The play’s themes of maternal guilt, grief, prejudice, intolerance, religious righteousness and lost youth are not limited to a particular time. The play is a classic not because of the time in which it was written, but rather because of the human face that Nichols gives to a timeless situation.” said the play’s Director, Kim Hardwick.
Originally produced at the Darlinghurst Theatre in 2007 to much acclaim, this modernised 2010 production is co-produced by White Box Theatre and Critical Stages. Critical Stages is the leading producer of touring theatre from the independent theatre sector, recently nominated for a 2010 Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production for their 2009 tour of The Kursk co-produced with Matrix Theatre.
The Seymour Centre plays a key role in enabling small international and local productions reach a broader audience, and provides an opportunity for these great shows to perform on the ‘big stage’ in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.
The stellar ensemble cast includes Genevieve Mooy (Frontline, The Dish, Brides of Christ), Jonathan Gavin (2 Pianos 4 Hands), Julia Davis (Bell Shakespeare, Wilde Tales), Katrina Retallick (Comedy Inc, Crackerjack, South Pacific, A Little Light Music), Drew Fairley (Bangers and Mash), and Sophie Webb (The Jungle).
Compelling, heartfelt and outrageously funny A Day in the Death of Joe Egg remains as relevant and thought-provoking today as it was almost half a century ago.
The show opens at the York Theatre, inside the Seymour Centre in Sydney, on October 21. Bookings: (02) 9351 7940.