You know, sometimes, the best solution really is to kill the King. At least that’s what Ma and Pa Ubu have been convinced of by the Prime Minister of Pooland and his lackeys who need the King overthrown so they can make more money through their mining empire. What they didn’t anticipate was Pa Ubu caring even less for his fellow humans than they do.
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David Williamson’s script comes at a time of great uncertainty as the world continues to navigate the pandemic and the increasing devastation of climate change while also attempting to reconcile the human disasters of war, greed, and power. In 17th century England, the state of things was similarly bleak.
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Melbourne and Sydney, art and commercialism, love and money; whether it’s the 1980s, 2014, or 2021, the battle is the same with each side deeply entrenched in their beliefs about success and happiness. In David Williamson’s 1987 play, artists butt up against producers, funding bodies, and even the audiences all for the integrity of the art. But what’s really at stake?
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A woman turns to the police for assistance when her husband assaults her. The police take the opportunity to puff their chests and wield their power. David Williamson’s the Removalists is exemplary of the playwright’s successes and shortcomings in a brutal, violent exploration of power and toxic masculinity.
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Brent Lyle is a footy star on the up and up. His performance on the field is at its peak and his manager is finding excellent opportunities to make more money off the field, too, but something is holding Brent back. A secret he’s been keeping for years that just might ruin the future laid out in front of him.
Image by Marnya Rothe
A football club is collapsing under its own petty politics and incompetency. All the boys want the power and the glory but none of them have any idea about the work involved. David Williamson’s 1977 script is a precise representation of masculinity behind closed doors and the many pitfalls of the “every man for himself” mentality of hyper-masculine spaces. This reimagining from isthisyours? distills the drama to three female actors in an examination of the classic some 40 years later.
Night Writes 