Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Sydney Theatre Company and UBS present


The Pig Iron People
By John Doyle


In the tradition of Patrick White's suburban satires, John Doyle, one of our great contemporary commentators, has written his first play.

Set on a quiet suburban street with not quite enough parking for the residents, The Pig Iron People examines two generations and the way the politics of their time (and the politics of their carparking) have shaped them.

Nick, a young man wanting to reinvent himself and find his voice as a writer, moves in to Liberal Street. It is 1996, the day of John Howard's first election victory. Looking for solitude, he ends up falling in love with April, a young actress, and striking up a bumpy but finally genuine relationship with his nosy, cantankerous old neighbours.

These are the Pig Iron People of the title, the generation who grew up under Menzies. Without realising it, he and April will be growing up under Honest John. Relaxed and comfortable? Great, but every day? All the time? And when you are not...?

Characterised by Doyle's tangential humour which brilliantly illuminates the hearts of his characters, The Pig Iron People is a timely satire infused with profound tolerance for the foibles of humanity.

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