Reviews

The inversion of the familiar ‘Darling, I’m Home’ suggests the argument of Laura Wade’s comedy.  ‘Darling, I’m Home’ is that weary-cheery greeting heard in many a 1950s American sit-com.  The breadwinner comes through the front door and calls to his (always ‘his’) little homemaker that he is home from the heartless world and ready to be welcomed within the bosom of his family.  ‘Home’ for Judy (Nikki Shields) is a haven from a world she dislikes and fears – a haven she controls.

We see one love story, one set of dialogue, six different ways, in the Fringe World world premiere Six Minutes, 6 Ways from Lyrical Infusion.

Sally Newman’s striking new work blends music and dance with conventional theatre as we watch the same couple at six points in their relationship. The dialogue is also the same each time, although you may not realise that completely at first, given that the context and delivery are so different in each scene.

A new David Williamson play doesn’t seem an obvious first choice for Lee Lewis’ final production as Griffin’s applauded artistic director.  But look again and you’ll see it’s one of Willliamson’s best, most compelling, heartfelt plays in years. 

Family Values centres on Roger (Andrew McFarlane), a retired justice, who with his wife, Sue  (an ever truthful Belinda Giblin), optimistically welcomes home their three feuding children for his 70th birthday. 

This is an enjoyable production of Shakespeare’s comedy and many of the witty elements are beautifully captured. The two leading characters in this production, Benedick (James Martin) and Beatrice (Grace Maddern), are in good hands and the reluctant romance that occurs between them provides much of the amusement in this play.