REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Sienna Brown Shares Her Thoughts on THE GREAT DIVIDE

Thursday 14 March 7:15pm 2024 Ensemble Theatre

Australia’s most prolific playwright David Williamson steps out of retirement to pen The Great Divide, a new comedy with wise-cracking commentary on wealth inequality and human greed.

Williamson explains: “When I was a kid in the fifties, Australia was the second-most egalitarian country in the developed world. The difference in salary between a worker and a managing director seldom exceeded a factor of five. Now with Australia the third-least egalitarian country in the developed world, the ratio is more like a factor of 200.”

Set in the fictitious Wallis Heads with golden sands, turquoise waters and a lush green golf course, not unlike Williamson’s current hometown Noosa in Queensland, this hidden coastal gem is discovered by the ruthless and immensely wealthy Alex Whittle. Alex plans to get rid of the current residents by exorbitantly raising the rents (sounds familiar) and put the town firmly on the tourist map, by making it a playground only for the rich.

Played pitch perfect by Georgie Parker, her ambitious gall is matched by Council member Alan Bridger who she ropes into going along with her dastardly schemes and played admirably by John Wood. And yet Alex, always used to winning, comes up against soft spoken Penny Poulter, a local resident who decides to fight to keep Wallis Heads the idyllic, unspoiled local, it’s been since her childhood. 

Played by Emma Diaz, Penny refuses to back down, even as the stakes get higher, when Alex tries to recruit Rachel Poulter, Penny’s daughter played with heighten teenage angst by Caitlin Burley, to be the first recipient of her Foundation - a surfing scholarship at a prestigious American university.

Although the play centres around corporate greed, wealth and ambition, it’s the authentic relationship scenes between Penny, Rachel and Alex that really engaged me, as the tug of war takes place between mother and daughter, egged on by Alex’s manipulation; giving all three actors a chance to play more nuanced roles. Kate Raison who plays Grace Delahunty, Alex’s long suffering execute secretary provides a light touch to Alex’s arrogance, while James Lugton playing the other roles, rounds out the cast.

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