In week seven Top 80 of this eight week festival of short plays we are presented with another nine highly entertaining and varied plays. From a talk show gone wrong to a moving tribute to ANZAC, through an office romance to a meeting with Adam and Eve each of these original plays has plenty to offer the audience.

The program begins with “Switching Tracks”, written by Deanna Ableser and directed by Angeline Andrews. We are drawn into the study of a girl Alexis, played by Brooke Bevilacqua, in turmoil, with only character X, played by Georgia Murray, to save her from the disaster which looms ever closer. We are forced to question will Alexis have the strength to change and what are the consequences for X.

Next up is “Three Little Words”, written and directed by Anthony J. Langford. Tom Harwood is excellent in the role of a man as he man faces up to his own alcoholism. Or is it really all a sham?

Third in the night’s line up from ITC She’ll Be Right in the Night, is “Pratt”, written by Gina Cohen and directed by Tara Nandi. This comedy, with many not so subtle sexual innuendos, stars Jeremy Godwin as Keith Pratt, a 1972 talk show host, who is beaten at his own game by his guest Penelope Lakewood, played by Gina Cohen.

Written by Harriet Elvin “A Letter to Harold” is a beautifully moving story of the women in the life of a soldier at Gallipoli. Directed by Larry Kelly the three actors, Liz Hovey as Evelyn the mother, Ella Hosty-Snelgrove as Katherine the young wife and Allie Joyce as Hetty the sister, draw us deeply into the suffering of those left behind.

The final play before interval is “Precipice”, written by Alex Dremann and directed by Kym Vaitiekus. Starring Carita Gronroos as Angela and Simone Neviani as Ron this is a delightful office love story in a very different setting and with a most decisive end.

After the break is “The Art Of Stripping”, written by Robert Ballinger and directed by Michael Block for ITC Linden Players. Here we have the actors, Alice Furze as She and Edric Hong as He, taking what was supposedly a play with no words and making it their own – not quite the strip show the writer intended.

Seventh is “Black And White”, written and directed by Balarka Banerjee from ITC Ghostlight Theatre. Luke Reeves plays Kevin, a man with two sides to his conscience, Priya Chakraborty as Black and Angela Karanjai as White, battling it out. Just when the audience thinks it is getting sorted a complication arrives in the form of Dave, played by Balarka Banerjee.

Next up is “The Dancing Lessons”, written by Connie Schindewolf and directed by Craig Simms. A sad and gentle tale of dementia – we are taken into her mother’s past as Catherine tries to connect with the woman she loves who appears lost to the present day. Melissa Saxton plays Catherine the daughter, Teresa Spencer-Plane plays Miriam the mother, Ingrid Lenert plays the Young Miriam and Matt Oxley is her husband George.

The final play for the evening is the very clever and witty play “Forbidden Fruit Angle”, written and directed by Tommy Green. All our favourite biblical characters are to be present at dinner, Tommy Green as Adam, James Hartley as God, Jessica Murphy as Eve and James Shepherd as Lucifer. However not all is well in the garden of Eden and as by tradition apples should not be eaten.

All photos by Chris Lundie.

For a taste of many different types of plays, ideas, comedy and drama get along to Short and Sweet. Located at the Tom Mann Theatre, 136 Chalmers St, Surry Hills. Top 80 Week 7 runs till Sunday 18 March then there is one more week of the Top 80 series before the finals to be held at the end of March and into April.

Short+Sweet Theatre 
Tom Mann Theatre- 136 Chalmers Street Surry Hills.
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