David Williamson is Australia’s best known and most widely performed playwright and one of our leading screenwriters. One of his early plays, The Department was commissioned to open the Dunstan Playhouse in 1974. He has had over fifty five plays produced, including Don’s Party and The Club and written screenplays for several movies such as Gallipoli, Phar Lap and The Year of Living Dangerously. This only touches on Williamson’s extensive biography, having been named one of Australia’s Living National Treasures.
It’s with this background that makes the presentation of The Puzzle by director Shannon Rush celebrating fifty years of the Dunstan Playhouse so important.
David Williamson describes his idea of a perfect holiday as taking a cruise on a small liner, where you get to meet and know some of your fellow passengers, and be entertained by lectures, deck games and language classes. Or maybe head to the games room to help complete a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. It was here that the idea of a middle aged conservative accountant trying to reconnect with his feisty 27 year old daughter on a “lifestyle cruise” was born. A man who was so unworldly that he didn’t know that “lifestyle cruise” was code for a swingers cruise. So the stage is set for an entertaining and evocative evening of false hopes, promises and unexpected outcomes.
Designer Ailsa Paterson and Lighting Designer Mark Shelton have perfectly created the feeling of a 70’s vibe cruise liner. Using retro furniture and colours, the set reeks of sleaze and hopeful elegance, complete with music of the era from Andrew Howard. The play opens with Drew (Erik Thomson) stumbling across Mandy (Ansuya Nathan) attempting the jigsaw puzzle. He excitedly helps her, explaining how he has a system for doing these puzzles, oblivious to her obvious advances. Mandy departs and his daughter Cassie (Ahunim Abebe) finds him engrossed in the puzzle. She is grateful that they have a chance to reconnect by curious as to why he has chosen a “lifestyle cruise” to invite her on. He is confused and has a sudden stroke of realisation about upside-down pineapples on some of the doors.
Emboldened by their conversation, Cassie goes on to explain that she is happily in a polyamorous relationship with three men and two other women. She goes onto further explain that she is considered a unicorn on this cruise, with several offers from other couples. The shocked father needs time to take all this in and make sense of what is happening.
Meanwhile, we go back in time to when Associate-Professor Craig ( Nathan O’Keefe) is trying to convince his wife Mandy that a swingers cruise would be the perfect antidote to their lacklustre sex life. She reluctantly agrees to go. On board the ship, Craig meets up with marketing guru Michele (Anna Linder) and Brian (Chris Asimos) who have a penthouse suite and are open for fun. They all meet up for drinks at the bar to get to know each other before ….
Of course the image of the fun swingers lifestyle never shows that things could go wrong. Which of course they do. Jealousy, miscommunication and unrealistic expectations come into play as the different lives intertwine. What could be a cringeworthy expose of these lives is handled expertly by writer Williamson, with a constant stream of laughs. The comedic and farcical side of the situations are perfectly elevated to balance out the very real raw emotions that are laid bare.
The actual jigsaw is projected onto a rear screen and we soon see that it is Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party”, arguably an early depiction of a polyamorous event. As the jigsaw becomes completed, the puzzle of the lives of the passengers also fall into place. Overall it is as satisfying as finding that last piece of the puzzle and one the puzzle is complete we can see the bigger picture.
Whilst The Puzzle tackles a modern view of fluid sexuality, it never falls into moralistic finger pointing. It’s a genuinely fast paced and funny play that gives the audience a voyeuristic insight into other lifestyles. The actors are totally believable and empathetic in their roles. It’s like pulp fiction with the middle aged accountant trying to make sense of what is going on around him. The audience have a fun and enjoyable night out, with a sprinkle of eye candy from Chris Asimos.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Puzzle by David Williamson plays 20 Sep — 12 Oct 2024 at the Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre.
Tickets are available HERE.
The reviewer attended opening night on Tuesday 24th September.
