Reviews

This legend of an Irish princess escorted across the sea by a hero knight to marry a Cornish king is as old as William the Conqueror.  This modern, translated version by German playwright Esther Williams, short and sharp-edged, follows innumerable tellings of this tale of adulterous and unquenchable love, of potions and murder.  

Did someone at the Ensemble know about the showing of the brilliant 8-part television version of ‘Ripley’ before scheduling this play? If so, then congratulations, for the audience seemed completely ready for this ‘spill the beans’ look at ageing writer Patricia Highsmith and her appalling creation. Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith wrote the play, which premiered in Sydney in November 2014 and has been seen in many international cities. It remains enthralling and repellent. 

Asylum begins with tension. Three scenes play out simultaneously and Craig, an immigration officer, a husband, and a father, is caught in all of them. Playwright Ruth Fingret places her protagonist in a series of dilemmas, where decision-making and dishonesty juxtapose and diverge in a script that is tight and demanding. Olga Tamara’s direction is just as tight and demanding.

Tonight is the final performance of the great and celebrated actress Lydia Martin. Keenly aware that she is on the verge of the age when roles dry up, she’s made the decision to upend her life by throwing it all in and running off to live in Geneva with a Swiss banker. Funny, poignant, dripping with irony, Canberra Rep’s The Actress haughtily drapes itself over more than one boundary. Peter Quilter’s script offers directors leeway to emphasise different nuances to tweak the emotional tone.