Before the Party for Adelaide’s Independent Theatre
When a not particularly famous playwright writes a play based on a short story by a very famous author it’s sure to be an intriguing contradiction worth examining, especially for a company renowned for producing works with interesting behind-the-scenes stories. To add to its successful history with such productions, Adelaide’s Independent Theatre is soon to produce Rodney Ackland’s Before the Party. Lesley Reed reports.
Rodney Ackland wrote approximately forty plays between 1929 and the mid-sixties as well as during the 1980’s. Absolute Hell was one of these, re-written from its critically-panned origins as The Pink Room in the early 50’s. That play had been totally rejected by critics and society but rewritten and revived as Absolute Hell in the mid-80’s, it was adapted for television starring Judi Dench. It also appeared in the Royal National Theatre’s list of top 100 plays of the twentieth Century.
Ackland was also a screenwriter, including films such as The 49th Parallel, but despite his prolific output and controversial background, he’s still a relative unknown today.
This month, Adelaide’s Independent Theatre is to produce Rodney Ackland’s Before the Party, a wickedly dark and funny work based on a short story by a much better known name than that of Ackland, none other than Somerset Maugham.
This unusual mix of creative thought has resulted in a play that has been described as ‘Noel Coward meets Alfred Hitchcock’.
Artistic Director of Independent Theatre, Rob Croser is inspired by such intriguing and unlikely provenance, as demonstrated in many of his past productions too, including his Australian Premiere production of John Logan’s Peter and Alice. This was a play derived from an actual meeting between the woman who as a child inspired the character of Alice in Wonderland and the young man who had been one of the boys upon whom the character of Peter Pan was based.
Ackland’s Before the Party is set in Britain in 1948, at a time when Hitler and Mussolini are well gone and now the only enemy is gossip. A socially conscious family, the Skinners prepare to attend a garden party for the Bishop of Capetown, but a series of shocks begins to upset the equilibrium of the family’s place in society.
Recently widowed daughter, Laura is bucking socially acceptable tradition by wearing pink instead of black and, to top it off, wants to become engaged to a travelling salesman while still in mourning. To make things worse, the maid and cook have each been indulging in unacceptable social practices. Mix in the father’s candidacy for the Conservative Party and spice everything up with the real reason for Laura’s husband’s death and you have a mysteriously black and bitingly funny comedy.
Cast under Rob Croser’s direction includes Madeleine Herd, Laura Antoniazzi, David Roach, Bronwyn Ruciak, Will Cox, Jenna Bezuidenhout and Myra Waddell.
Design is by David Roach and Rob Croser.
Before the Party is described as ‘a comic riot’ and with its other moniker of ‘Noel Coward meets Alfred Hitchcock’ it will surely intrigue and delight Adelaide audiences.
Images: Madeleine Herd and Will Cox.
WHERE:
Goodwood Theatre, 166a Goodwood Road, Goodwood.
WHEN:
April 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29 at 7.30 pm.
Matinees Saturday April 29 at 2pm.
Early Tuesday April 25 at 6.30 pm.
TICKETS: $18-$35
BOOKINGS: www.independenttheatre.org.au
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