There have been more than a few plays I have seen over the years that is set at a dinner party. The appeal for playwrights, no doubt, is that this setting gives a lot of potential for social by-play and satire.
One that comes to mind straight away is prominent Australian playwright Andrew Bovell’s play The Architect. And so it is with Aidan O’Donnell’s play THE PERFECT COUPLE, which has just completed a short season at Flow Studios in Camperdown.
The scenario sees a frazzled young couple, Rose and Marcus, running around, setting up dinner, as their guests, Izzy and Nick, are going to arrive at any moment.
The show’s mainly comic tone is on display from the beginning. Tom is unable to successfully manage the volume and the songs on his sound machine which sees him banging the machine continuously out of frustration. Rose screams at him to set the dinner table! Tom stresses Rose out to the point where she burns the fish dinner!
Things become more madcap with the arrival of the very colourful couple, Izzy and Nick. Much of the play’s humour arises out of the inter-relationship between the characters; Rose and Izzy have been bestie, Izzy and Marcus have history, and Marcus and Nick share an obsession with expanding the growth in the solar panel industry! There is plenty for the audience to engage with.
As well as being the writer, O’Donnell also directed the play, which did with an easy, light touch. I saw him keenly watching the show from a side vantage point,
There was a sweet simplicity to the set design with a dining room table in the middle with, a sofa deep stage right, shelving stage left, and there was a kitchen space, off stage right. The kitchen area was used a lot when characters went to ‘lick their wounds’.
The lighting and soundscapes worked well, of-course limited by the sparse technical facilities available at Flow Studios, an old warehouse that has been converted in to a very basic performance space.
O’Donnell’s characters were well drawn and portrayed by thve cast. The two gents played guys with inflated egos. Cameron Steven ’s Marcus is a bit of a slippery characters. He sees himself as having his act together but he comes across as a shlemiel. Oliver Ryan makes the most of the fun role of the svelte, sleazy, cool Nick who has more style than substance, and is hoist with his own petard during then show.
The two ladies showed good comic flair in their roles; Ashleigh Chandler as the frazzled, warm hearted Rose, and Chantal Elyse as the trendy influencer, Izzy.
THE PERFECT COUPLE worked best as a comedy. The dramatic touches and the tying all the loose ends resolution were less convincing.
Verdict. Everything points to this being about a young theatre company who are thrilled to have their first production to be included in this year’s Sydney Fringe Festival. It is made even more special that they have put on a play written by one of the team. With this first production, they have put on a good show.
A Bold and Brunt Creative production, Aidan O’Donnell’s THE PERFECT COUPLE played the Floow Studio theatre space, 57 Denison Street, Camperdown between the 24th and 28th September 2025.
