Prolific young Australian playwright Tommy Murphy’s latest play ‘Gwen In Purgatory’, receiving its premiere production upstairs at Belvoir Street, is a compelling slice of life drama.
His play takes us into the world of the Houlihan family of Queenbeyan, at a particular time in its history. The life of Gwen, the Houilhan’s feisty ninety year old matriarch, is going through upheaval. Coping with life in her twilight years, her life has taken another turn.
‘Gwen In Purgatory’ starts with Gwen having just moved into a new apartment after leaving her family home of many years, with the home now being in the process of being sold. The stage lights come on to reveal a powerful image, a confused and stressed Gwen looking around her new living room that is surrounded by packing boxes.
Earlier that morning Gwen was involved in a car accident, bumping into a car reversing out of her new garage. The driver wanted to throttle her. It’s not exactly a great start to the latest chapter in Gwen’s life. Is she going to be able to meet the new challenges that life is throwing her, or will she go under?
The pressure isn’t only on Gwen. All the members of the Houlihan family have their own busy lives and are trying to work out the roles that they will now play with Gwen having moved to her own apartment.
It’s rich, fertile territory that the young dramatist explores. Murphy presents the situation fully, warts and all, and doesn’t apportion blame anywhere. The show’s appeal lies in the audience being able to smile and cry and sometimes wince inside in recognition of the action unravelling on stage.
One of Australia’s finest directors, Neil Armfield, a great creative team including veteran director Stephen Curtis, and a wonderful cast, bring Murphy’s story vividly to life. The play’s strongest feature was its well drawn characters, who with the casts’ fine work, we got to know well.
All of the Houlihans left an impression; Melissa Jaffer’s very muddled, obstinate, proud, generous to a fault, life be in it Gwen…Grant Dodwell played her businessman son Laurie whose identity was wrapped around making deals…Sue Ingleton played her daughter Peg, a fusspot and worry wart, a woman who had found a new direction in life as a mature age university student, and Gwen’s early thirties grandson, Daniel, played by Nathaniel Dean. Daniel was a troublemaker in his youth, he memorably once tried to rob a local service station until the service station recognised him, told him to stop being stupid, and Daniel then slunk off. Daniel still has a temper on him but he has made something of his life, now having a young wife and child, and holding down a stable job.
Pacharo Mzembo played the only non Houlihan character, the town’s new priest Father Ezekiel, whom Gwen invited to the house to do a blessing. We learn his story…a devout Catholic arrived from Nigeria, finding it difficult to deal with the individualistic spirit of Australian society as compared to the community mindedness of Nigerian people. The townsfolk had already taken a sheen to him with his good natured and ever smiling demeanour.
A joint Company B Belvoir and La Boite Theatre Company production ‘Gwen In Purgatory’ plays the Belvoir Upstairs theatre until Sunday September 19, 2010.
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