Competitive Tenderness

Competitive Tenderness
By Hannie Rayson. Woy Woy Little Theatre. Director: Christine Vale. Penisula Theatre, Woy Woy. October 25-November 10, 2013

Competitive Tenderness (1996) is the mouthful of a title of a very wordy satire about the wheeling and double-dealing of a typically Australian rural, local government council. It appears Greater Bourke has been sold up the river by a CEO who rather inconveniently then passed away, leaving a clueless Mayor, his conniving peers and opportunistic staff to pick up the pieces. Enter brand new CEO, Dawn Snow – who has been lured to the town to be the new broom of sweeping reform but she soon proves to be more of a perfumed steamroller.

One of the hallmarks of Rayson's plays is a high volume of scene changes and while this is a linear storyline, people with short attention spans (like myself) may find entrances and exits overly distracting - adding to the convolutedness of the plot. Keen political satire enthusiasts would take a much different view.

Annie Bilton has an absolute field day as Dawn, channelling the saccharine sarcasm of a 'Sybil Fawlty' but with sexier, albeit sinister, edge. Paul Russell gets the biggest belly laughs as the hapless, horny Mayor and Bob Farmer shows delightfully subtle comedic timing as the senior parking officer – the rest of this very large cast offer solid support...while Jen Mealing and Charlotte Otton take turns scene-stealing throughout.

Rose Cooper

Featuring Annie Bilton, Paul Russell, Bob Farmer, Jen Mealing, John Lusty, John Hickey, Charlotte Otton, Penny Dilworth, Gordon Crawford, Bruce Hyland, Graham Vale, David Wicks and a bevy of Macedonian Dancing girls.

 

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