Sydney playwright James Balian puts on a play every year for the Sydney Fringe Festival. I loved last year’s THE VIAGRA MONOLOGUES and was very much looking forward to his new production, THE NEW DEAL.

Balian’s play takes us into the world of Alex Simmons (Lynden Jones), a troubled, discontented, restless middle-aged man. Alex has been plagued by sexual impotence and refuses to go down the path of Viagra or Cialis. His good natured wife Carol (Katherine Shearer) is kind hearted and sympathetic but the lack of sexual fulfillment between them is bringing them both down.

Alex finds a potent distraction when he is offered pre-selection for a federal seat. He’s a good networker and schmoozes with numbers man Syd Shielding (Jim Gosden) and media talkback personality Lara Merino (Kate Buchanan). His politics are very right-wing and as he vigorously campaigns, his popularity quickly increases. It is at this time that Alex makes his most important contact, the wily, dubious Stan (Christopher Miller). Stan tells Alex that he has the power-other worldly powers- to make him the next Prime Minister, as long as he lives up to his end of the bargain. Seeing his greatest ambition within his sight, Alex goes full steam ahead.

I was a little disappointed by THE NEW DEAL. The actors worked hard, Ensemble Studios graduate Lynden Jones, a consistently good performer in the Sydney fringe theatre scene, impressed in the leading role as did Flinders Drama Centre graduate Katherine Shearer as his wife. The play lacked the lyricism of THE VIAGRA MONOLOGUES and though it covered some intriguing territory, I found it a bit too naive and far fetched for it to seal The Deal.

James Balian’s THE NEW DEAL opened at the New Theatre, 403 King Street, Newtown on Thursday 15th September and played until Monday 19th September, 2011.

(c) David Kary

22nd September, 2011