Renowned playwright Daniel Keene returns to fortyfivedownstairs with the Australian premiere of The Curtain.
Directed by Beng Oh (Wild Cherries at La Mama and c*ckat fortyfivedownstairs) and featuring Milijana Čančar, Gil Tucker and Paul Weingott, The Curtain is a touching and humorous examination of ageing, vulnerability and a prickly friendship.
Written with Keene's characteristically sharp ear for poetry in the dialogue of ordinary people, The Curtain follows Leon and Francis, two older men lodging in a country town. After arriving home late one night, their landlady Ada has some disturbing news for her "guests" which will change their lives forever. Underpinning this apparently simple story are multiple layers of meaning and feeling, typical of Keene's award-winning work. Recipient of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Drama twice and the NSW Premier's Literary Award for Drama three times, amongst many other prizes, Keene's work has been presented at the Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide International Arts Festivals, and at the Melbourne Theatre Company and
Sydney Theatre Company. Since 2000, over 80 productions of his work have been presented in Europe, predominantly in France. In 2016, Daniel was appointed to the rank of Chevalier de I'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to French Culture.
The Curtain marks Keene's second collaboration with Director Beng Oh, following an acclaimed production of Wild Cherries at La Mama last year. In his review for The Age, Cameron Woodhead wrote that "Oh's direction crafts more intricate performances... than Keene's work sometimes receives. His production ensures Wild Cherries will endure to be regarded as one of the playwright's finest."
Originally commissioned by Melbourne Theatre Company, The Curtain was included in the company's 2012 Cybec Electric Readings program. It has remained unproduced to date, and once again, fortyfivedownstairs has stepped up to give this Australian work the season it deserves.
"Actors Paul Weingott and Gil Tucker approached fortyfivedownstairs with the proposal of a public reading of The Curtain last year," says Artistic Director Mary Lou Jelbart. "I was immediately struck by the beautiful simplicity of the writing and Keene's superlative observation of character. He's one of our very best playwrights and his work was some of the earliest presented at fortyfivedownstairs when the venue first opened, so I'm thrilled to have him back, and to see his writing realised by Beng, whose recent production of c*ckwas a great highlight of our 2019 season."
Tickets $35 - $48
Bookings 03 9662 9966 or click HERE.
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