Fishy productions production of Donald Margulies’s ‘ Dinner With Friends’ played the inner city Darlinghurst Theatre venue.

In ‘Dinner With Friends’ long time couple Gabe and Karen have invited best friend Karen over for dinner, and to talk about their recent trip trip to Italy. The dinner is going well until Karen breaks down and tells them that her husband Tom and her have split up after Tom announced that he was leaving her for another woman, travel agent, Nancy.

My take on ‘Dinner With Friends’. It felt like the playwright sharing his thoughts and feelings on relationships. The program notes revealed that Margulies used experiences from his own marriage as a basis for the play.

Despite some dark times along the way, Gabe and Karen stick through their marriage for the long haul whilstTom and Beth find new partners to share their life journeys.

Margulies’s play has one of the most touching of endings. Gabe and Karen are snuggled up in bed together at the end of another day, joking with each other,andshwing that their love will survive.

‘Dinner With Friends’ has many good touches. Margulies deftly conveyed Gabe and Karen’s love for the good life as they switch their conversation with Beth between intense talk about her separation from Tom to talking about some food delicacy or their latest drop of good wine.

The play is neatly structured as it switches between the present time and many years ago when Gabe and Karen first introduced Beth and Tom. With this, locations are switched to, between the couple’s city apartment, and their summer beach house.

Set designer Mark Thompson’s stage worked well. Gabe and Karen’s dining room was centre stage, represented by a large dining room table. When the action moved to the couple’s bedroom,a double bed came out from the back of the stage. At either side of the stage there were kitchen walls, one indicative of the city dwelling, the other of the beach house.

Kim Hardwick’s production was stylish and well paced. The cast performed well. Anthony Grgas and American actress, Rebecca Rocheford Davies, played the comfortably middle class couple, Gabe and Karen, well, with Rachel and David Terry playing former couple, Beth and Tom.