Australian playwright Betty Roland’s A TOUCH OF SILK was first performed in 1928 and the delightful little Henry Lawson Theatre in Werrington in Sydney’s west is an excellent venue for this play. It is a play from Australia’s heartland and from Australia’s past. At the core of this play are issues that are just as relevant today as they were ninety years ago.
The play is set in rural Australia and looks at the lives of two men a few years after they fought in the First World War and have returned to their hometown. Clifford Osborne (Andrew Sheehan) is a charming young man who had “got into a bit of trouble” when he was growing up and lived a carefree life wandering around the world after the war. Jim Davidson (Jordan Kenyon) is a serious, troubled man struggling to keep his farm afloat and married to his sophisticated French wife, Jeanne (Katy Cole).
Jeanne does not conform to the conservative mores of the women of the town and feels isolated, lonely and dislocated. There is a big contrast between hot and dry rural Victoria and the sophisticated streets of Paris.
Clifford has fond memories of his time in Paris and forms a friendship with Jeanne based on their love of the culture and glamour of Paris. Jim misunderstands this friendship which leads to conflict and eventually to tragedy. Jeanne is suffering from existential angst as she cannot reconcile of the gaiety and life that she left behind in Paris with the heaviness of the bush and the insular rural people.
The leading protagonist of the women who do not welcome Jeanne into their social group is Jim’s mother, Jeanne’s mother-in-law, the abhorrent Mrs Davidson (Annette Emerton). Having the town against her and her mother-in-law against her is a burden for Jeanne. Jim is caught between his genuine love for his wife and his mother.
The themes of family conflict, the struggle to keep the farm afloat in a harsh climate, and a parochial dislike of the exotic are as relevant today as they were early last century.
The period it was set in seemed to resonate with the audience, which was very engaged with and highly amused by the performance. Some of their reactions to dialogue and events on stage were almost melodramatic like. The massed intake of breath or the communal sigh added to the evening’s atmosphere.
Leone Sharp’s set and costume design was exceptional. The set was one of the stars of the play.
Director Allyson Prowse said that the beautiful sadness of this thoughtful play resonated with her.
Jack Gerrie supporting as Harry played his role with charm and skill. Other cast members were Wayne Guy, Rachael Farrow, Neridah James, Sylvana De Filippis, Peter Williams and Jonathon Prowse.
A TOCUH OF SILK opened on Friday 2nd November at the Henry Lawson Theatre, Werrington and runs until Saturday 17th November, 2012.
© Mark Pigott
4th November, 2012
Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- A TOUCH OF SILK, Betty Rowland, Henry Lawson Theatre Werrington, Andrew Sheehan, Jordan Kenyon, Katy Cole, Annette Emerton, Sydney Arts Guide, Mark Pigott.