Back in November 1974, David Williamson’s The Department, commissioned by the then-State Theatre Company, opened the Dunstan Playhouse. How fitting, then, that Australia’s foremost playwright should be at it again, 50 years later, with another new work in celebration of the Playhouse’s golden jubilee.
The Puzzle seems, at first blush, to be a bit of a fringe dweller in Williamson’s enormous body of work that by and large focuses on urban Australia. It’s set on a cruise ship somewhere in the Mediterranean and the punters are swingers, enjoying what’s euphemistically called a ‘lifestyle tour’. Hardly the footy club or the boardroom in inner suburban Melbourne.
But as a vehicle for exploring human relationships, it’s ideal. It’s Williamson to the core.
We have three pairs. Brian (Chris Asimos) and Michele (Anna Lindner) are seasoned and enthusiastic tourers. Craig (Nathan O’Keefe) is keen to try, though his wife Mandy (Ansuya Nathan) isn’t so sure. And dear old Drew (Erik Thomson) thought lifestyle meant – well, Mediterranean history – and would rather do his jigsaw puzzle, though his outgoing daughter Cassie (Ahunim Abebe) is up for the challenge.
The highs are played for laughs, especially via the bold-as-brass Brian and Michele, and the inhibited Drew. Brian’s unprecedented failure to ‘perform’, in particular, is a rich vein of comic irony, with his devastation and Michele’s acid tongue giving some of the heartiest chuckles of the night.
The lows, on the other hand, are given due melancholy, particularly Mandy’s discomfort and her fear of loss, whether of her husband, or her self-respect.
Director Shannon Rush navigates a veritable cat’s cradle of time-honoured tropes of libertarian sexual ethics, ‘will they, won’t they’, love triangles, misplaced confidence and youthful enthusiasm with a deft hand. Design-wise, the ‘ship chic’ look is yet another winner from Ailsa Paterson.
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There’s nothing new in The Puzzle, but it’s done well, and a winning cast carries the show.
The Puzzle by David Williamson
Dunstan Playhouse, State Theatre Company South Australia
Director: Shannon Rush
Designer: Ailsa Paterson
Composer: Andrew Howard
Lighting Designer: Mark Shelton
Sound Designer: Patrick Pages-Oliver
Video Designer: Mark Oakley
Cast: Ahunim Abebe, Chris Asimos, Erik Thomson, Ansuya Nathan, Anna Lindner, Nathan O’Keefe
The Puzzle will be performed until 12 October 2024.
