Holden Street Theatres, till 21 March 2021
Genre: Theatre
Review – Geoff Jenke
Two old school friends come back together forty years after playing twins in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, to rework it as a two -hander. This is a heart breaking and hilarious new play about trust; remembering and forgetting to remember; loss; regret; love; pain and glory.
Greg Fleet and Ian Darling star in this new play which is also a semi autobiography of both actors. Along with Sarah Butler, they also wrote the play. Their lives took different paths after school, Geelong Grammer, of all places; Ian paying to attend, Greg on a scholarship; Ian heading into finance before becoming an award-winning documentary film maker and Greg is best known for acting and being a comedian. But there is a darker side to Greg, who became a long-term drug addict and so, can Ian trust Greg to make an effort with the new play?
The show is more than about Greg and Ian, it is also about their fathers and the shadows they leave and the burden and guilt these two friends carry as a result. One’s family, Ian’s, was well to do, while Greg came from a poorer split family. Both feeling guilty about what they were. An achingly honest account that see privilege and heroin joined at the hip.
The show makes references to the times when they were growing up, The Patty Duke Show, The Removalist, the Sex Pistols and where did Greg get that Golden Breed T Shirt? The short music interludes feature The Sunnyboys, The Go-Betweens, The Church, Russell Morris and many more. If you remember these times, this is definitely a play for you. If you are a lot younger, still go and learn about life pre mobile phones. It was a wonderful time.
A rewarding experience.
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