Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Buckingham Palace, look out.
One historian’s battle to uncover the truth about the 1975 dismissal of then-Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam is being adapted for the stage.
The Palace Letters will star Georgie Parker and Jonathan Biggins as part of the Sydney Theatre Company’s 2027 slate announced on Monday night.
The 13 productions on offer in 2027 include four world premieres and a collection of famous names.
Jenny Hocking’s decade-long effort to investigate the dismissal is like Australia’s version of Erin Brockovich or A Few Good Men, according to STC artistic director Mitchell Butel.
“It’s feeling quite electric that one; in many ways it’s a kind of political thriller … cleverly constructed and really entertaining as well,” Butel told AAP.
Amah and Nanna by Disapol Savetsila deals with more recent politics and stars Annette Shuh Wah and Lynne McGranger.
It starts with an intriguing premise: Nanna’s daughter cuts off contact after Nanna brings her baby grandson to a rally in a Southern Cross baby sling.
A story about how the political centre is being forced to the right is very much of the moment – and it’s humanised by being on stage, Butel said.
“To see an argument played out between two people rather than 5000 people on Facebook ticking off at each other, I think it’s way more interesting,” he said.
After the success of The Dictionary of Lost Words in 2023, the STC presents an adaptation of Pip Williams’ companion novel The Bookbinder of Jericho.
The beloved Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries also makes it to the stage for the first time, with Death by Deckchair – which, of course, takes place on a glamorous cruise ship.
Richard Roxburgh and Heather Mitchell will reunite on the STC stage for the first time in 30 years with the Australian premiere of British writer and director Robert Icke’s version of Oedipus.
Comedian Celeste Barber makes her debut with the company in The Book of Liz by Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris.
Simon Stephen’s adaptation Vanya will star Eryn Jean Norvill, and there’s also the return of former STC artistic director Kip Williams’ international hit The Picture of Dorian Gray with Nikki Shiels.
Tim Minchin also returns to the company to round out the season with the Old Vic production of Jack Thorne’s A Christmas Carol.
