Furious

March 11th, 1993 — April 3rd, 1993


Venue

La Boite Theatre, Brisbane

Producer

La Boite Theatre

Director

Sue Rider

Playwright

Michael Gow

Cast

Gael Ballantyne
Kym Campbell
Sue Dwyer
Lewis Jones
Bronwyn Knight
Adam Smart

Costume Designer

Christopher Smith

Set Designer

Christopher Smith

Lighting Designer

Geoff Squires


Furious

The Queensland premiere of Michael Gow’s new work Furious was directed by Rider and designed by Christopher Smith. Also a risky choice, Rider reported that it polarised audiences “who were either delighted or puzzled – and in some cases offended – by the play”.[i]

Sue Gough commented that “The manic-depressive energy of Michael Gow’s Furious comes across with a disturbing intimacy at La Boite’s theatre in the round”. She found the production “both wonderful and frustrating” but felt that “somehow text and performance never quite gel”.[ii]  Revealing some teething problems in La Boite’s new professional context, Cotes thought the play “savagely brilliant” but “fiendishly difficult” for a cast not up to the challenge – “The effect was of a group of amateurs who were trying so hard to get it right they were unable to release themselves into the truth of the people they were portraying”.[iii]

Writer: Dr Christine Comans


[i] AD’s AGM Report, March 7, 1994.

[ii] Bulletin/Newsweek March 30, 1993.

[iii] The Brisbane Review, March 18, 1993.


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