Queensland Theatre Company 2010 season

 

QTC aims high for new season

There's nothing like ambition, but the Queensland Theatre Company is aiming high with its 2010 program; promising nothing less than "lives transformed". The catchphrase of course carries multiple meanings, the most obvious of which relates to the transformation of life into character by the playwrights whose work will be on show during the year. The common thread in the selection, according to artistic director Michael Gow, is that each of the key characters must "discover the one element that inspires who they choose to become".

The 2010 season opens with The Little Dog Laughed (8 Feb – 13 Mar), Douglas Carter Beane’s tale of sex, lies and Hollywood glamour. Hot actor Mitchell is on the path to making it big, but his “recurring case of homosexuality” seems to be getting in the way of marriage, megabucks and superstar branding. His desperate agent Diane resorts to ruthless and creative tactics to keep the truth from coming out.

Next up is Thom Pain (based on nothing) (15 Mar – 10 Apr), a smart and menacingly funny one-man show by Will Eno. Thom Pain is armed with a razor sharp suit, a wicked attitude and a broken heart. He is an everyman trying to make sense of the world and his place in it.

Noosa’s playground for the rich and retired becomes a comic battleground in David Williamson’s Let the Sunshine (12 Apr – 15 May). With a cast that includes Robert Coleby, Andrea Moor, Jacki Weaver and Gold-Logie winner John Wood, Let the Sunshine is Williamson’s latest romantic satire that reflects on issues facing a modern Romeo and Juliet.

Speaking of the Bard, King Lear (5 – 22 May) is Shakespeare’s tale of jealousy, betrayal, hatred and madness, and promises to be an epic way to celebrate Bell Shakespeare’s 20th birthday in 2010. Starring John Bell as King Lear, we see what happens when Lear arranges his succession amongst his three daughters by posing them a question: who loves me the most? When his favourite daughter Cordelia refuses the challenge, an enraged Lear banishes her, little realizing how his own vanity has blinded him to the purest expression of love and loyalty.

Is love all you really need? That's the question posed by Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig (31 May – 26 Jun) - a short, sharp tale of love and stereotypes. Helen and Tom are in love. Helen is beautiful, smart, funny and just a little on the large size. But to Tom’s self-obsessed work buddies, she’s plain gross. Can you be too shallow to stay in love?

If you hate house cleaning, chances are you’ll enjoy The Clean House (28 Jun – 31 Jul) – Sarah Ruhl’s award winning romantic comedy with a sprinkle of magic realism. Lane is depressed – her cleaner hates cleaning and would rather tell jokes, her husband has fallen in love with his patient and her sister is secretly doing her housework. The Clean House is set in a whimsical world where four strong women meet all that life has to offer them with passion and humour.

Nobel Prize-winner Harold Pinter unearths secrets that have lasted for years in Betrayal (6 Sep – 9 Oct). Lifelong friends Jerry and Robert are rivals in the publishing world, but also rivals for the love of Robert’s wife Emma. Jerry and Emma believe they have created the perfect private romance that no one will discover, until they begin to learn how hard it is to keep a secret.

Hailed as a new Australian classic, Andrew Bovell’s When The Rain Stops Falling (20 Oct – 6 Nov) is a multi award-winning and enthralling tale that spans generations. When Gabriel Law retraces his father’s footsteps in an attempt to solve the mystery of his disappearance, he is forced to confront the truth of a family secret and find the strength to accept what has gone before, in order to follow a new life.

The QTC's end-of-year family treat is Grimm Tales (8 Nov – 11 Dec); adapted by Carol Ann Duffy and dramatised by Tim Supple. The stories of the Brothers Grimm have enthralled children and adults alike for centuries. From The Golden Goose to Hansel and Gretel, these modern adaptations promise to infuse the Grimms’ original fables with a fresh vitality and humour.

Season tickets are on sale now. For more information and ticketing details, head to the QTC website.

David Edwards