ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE
I do care, like we all care, we feel deeply, we care, we cry, then we eat our dinner, have a glass of wine, and talk about our home renovation.
A new adaptation of Ibsen’s play that takes the action to a small regional Australian town, which recasts Dr. Stockman as a woman, and gives life to the character of Randine, the maid, who is always off stage in the original version. Ibsen’s dramatic comedy is startlingly relevant to our time as we grapple with climate change. This version looks at the story of an interfamilial fight about an inconvenient truth through a contemporary feminist lens.
Steve Le Marquand in Enemy of the people at Belvoir St. Photo - Brett Boardman
Cover photo: Kate Mulvany, Charles Wu, Nikita Waldron, and Catherine Davies in Enemy of the People. Photo – Brett Boardman
PRODUCTIONS:
Company B Belvoir Street, 2018
Directed by Anne Louise Sarks.
“A comedy to tear at the heart with laughs that are constant, intelligent and character-based propelling a disappointment in humanity’s ethics and moral integrity. Fashioned with empathy as its driver, the production has a stunningly well-imagined second act that emboldens an irresistible engagement from the audience. The, usually rarely heard, verbal expressions of discouragement and outrage that emanated from the audience during the final scene is a direct result of the theatrical structure which empowers this remarkable ensemble cast… An enemy of the people has stand-alone excellence as a new work.” Judith Greenaway, Arts Hub.
“Her adaptation fizzes with contemporary relevance” Huw Griffiths, The Conversation.
“This is a show that speaks directly to our troubled, complex times” Limelight.
The script of Enemy of the people, By Melissa Reeves, Adapted from Ibsen, is available from the playwright - backroom54@gmail.com
Info about Belvoir production.