The Life of the Party (play)

1957 Australian play by Ray Mathew

The Life of the Party

Written by| Ray Mathew
Characters| 5 women
3 men
Date premiered| 1958
Place premiered| Independent Theatre, Sydney
Original language| English
Subject| Australia
Genre| drama
Setting| living room of a flat in Kings Cross, Sydney

Life of the Party is a 1957 Australian play by Ray Mathew.[1]

The play was a finalist in the 1957 London Observer competition.[2] It was given a public reading at the Independent Theatre in Sydney in 1958, and had a short season in London in 1960. Being produced in London was a notable achievement for an Australian play at the time.[3][4]

## Reception

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The 1960 production in London starred Alan Badel and was directed by Frith Banbury. The Daily Telegraph called it "most unpleasant."[5] Variety was also critical.[6]

Leslie Rees said the play "demonstrated both the merits and the shortcomings of a Peter Pan author" and "illustrated the growing sophistication in content of Australian plays in the late fifties and early sixties."[7] He added that the play:

> Almost happened, but didn’t. Here we had acute observation at many a moment, humour, wit, delicacy. But the action was in a world of its own, not real. It was easy to see why the play failed in London. It started by beguiling —because of its deftness, flexibility, and touching off of people’s impulses—but in the end it was so much rigmarole. The author did not know when whimsy should evaporate and the sharp realism of a substantial human situation should take its place. It was a weakness that had trailed Ray Mathew throughout his career.[8]

According to academic Peter Fitzpatrick, the play "is full of deliberate confusions, its people practised in complex deceptions and self-deceptions. This imposes quite a strain on a plot that sometimes seems a rather gratuitous attempt to knock the sprawling material into some sort of shape. But it is a bold experiment conducted well before its time."[9]

The play was published in the 2004 collection Plays of the 50s.[10]

## Premise

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A party is being held at a flat in an apartment block in Kings Cross, Sydney, inhabited by a young couple, Jack and Moira. Moira loves Jack but he has a gambling problem. Guests to their party include their friend Alex, a radio writer; Bert, a bookie; Marina, a young woman in love with Alex; Tanya, a woman brought by Bert; Peg, the landlady; Lorna and Sylvie, two friends.

Jack attempts to seduce Sylvie, who is attracted to him.

Upstairs, a boy commits suicide because he is lonely.

## References

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1. ^ "Sundry Shows – Stage and Music", The Bulletin, 81 (4198), Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 27 July 1960, nla.obj-702953061, retrieved 26 July 2023 - via Trove
2. ^ Grant, Bruce (31 August 1957). "A source of great richness". The Age. p. 19.
3. ^ "Spring Song of Outback in London". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 32, no. 25\. Australia, Australia. 18 November 1964. p. 13. Retrieved 26 July 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
4. ^ "News In Brief". The Canberra Times. Vol. 35, no. 9, 767. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 November 1960. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ "Nastiness in block of flats". The Daily Telegraph. 23 November 1960. p. 16.
6. ^ "Life of the party". Variety. 7 December 1960. p. 79.
7. ^ Rees, Leslie (1987). Australian drama, 1970-1985 : a historical and critical survey. p. 317.
8. ^ Rees p 318
9. ^ Fitzpatrick, Peter (1979). After "The doll" : Australian drama since 1955. p. 80.
10. ^ Brisbane, Katharine, ed. (2004). Plays of the 50s. Currency Press.

## External links

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* Ray Mathew Papers
* Life of the Party at Ausstage