The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect

The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect
By Sandy Fairthorne. Directed by Judy Ellis. La Mama Courthouse Theatre Carlton. Feb 28 - March 11, 2018

Most couples, at some point, grapple with the emotionally charged territory of having a baby. It is as universally familiar as it is challenging to any couple whether it is from hormones that race through your body, or disappointment. And it is an area fraught with emotionally charged responses as people grapple with outcomes.

This latest play by playwright Sandy Fairthorne covers similar territory to her last play The Savages of Wirramai, that of family dramas and grappling with mental health. InJeremy Perfect the spotlight is drilled into this ‘new baby’ territory with unflinching resolve. It centers on the living room of Jeremy Perfect (Simon Finch), a new father and struggling writer with mental health issues,which are kept in check by his ever-attentive wife a psychiatrist Rosa (Eva Justine Torkkola). They live with Rosa’s sister Annie (Alex McTavish), a nurse who has decided not to have children. Emotions are ramped up with the arrival of his brother Joe (Sean Paisley Collins) and his young wife Simone (Ruby Wall) who have come to the city for tests because they are struggling to get pregnant.

As only the mix of medications, washed down with a constant supply of red wine, heightened emotions in confined spaces can do, things unsurprisingly go awry with dramatic (and entertaining) consequences. The play combines strong performances with powerful writing, and deals with this tricky emotional area with humor and honesty. While some characters come across as two-dimensional, others are fleshed out with painful honesty, as the play leads to a surprising conclusion. 

Directed by Judy Ellis, with a tasteful music score composed by Camden Tilley that punctuates each scene, the drama that plays out on a set beautifully designed by Elisendra Russell, makes for a thought provoking, raunchy and entertaining night out.

Sally Bird

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