Reviews

When the socially awkward Felix returns home for his father’s funeral, his mother’s behaviour and ongoing scorn regresses him to his childhood. Another man, who is nothing like his father, is spending too much time with his supposedly bereaved mother – and that man’s daughter once had a relationship with Felix before he ran off to study Superstring theory at Cambridge.

Sir Terry Pratchett, satirist and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works, is best known for his Discworld series of 41 novels. The books frequently parody or take inspiration from classic works, usually fantasy or science fiction, and mythology, folklore and fairy tales. Famously, he often used them for satirical parallels with cultural, political and scientific issues. He said, “Fantasy isn't just about wizards and silly wands. It's about seeing the world from new directions."

Catherine Fitzgerald’s Dry is ‘an absurdist dystopian Western inspired by the tough, resourceful women who live in our remote regions’. It tells the story of two sisters who have remained behind on an outback station when others have fled to either the far distant hills or the remote ‘Capital’. The reason for this population movement, which is affecting the entire country, is a lack of life-giving water. There is a telling line that was said by one of the departed – that ‘he didn’t want to be a refugee in his own country’.

No matter what side of the fence you sit on, there is no denying that California based playwright Jonathon Spector’s satirical comedy packs an emotional punch. In an age of opinion, and many platforms on which to voice such opinions, he manages to capture the importance of inclusivity.