Nominated for 14 International Theatre Awards including 2011 New York Theatre Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play

Overview

Margaret may be a struggling single mother, but she’s got good bingo friends. Having been ‘let go’ by the local Dollar Store, a chance encounter with an old flame provides an opportunity to get ahead. He’s well-off, smart and handsome, and has escaped their childhood neighbourhood with a college education. Inveigling her way into his home, Margaret poses a sudden threat to his picture-perfect family life.

David Lindsay-Abaire’s wonderfully whip-smart comedy of manners shakes up a delicious cocktail of secrets, lies, class and race and asks the question: what makes us GOOD PEOPLE?

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PLAYWRIGHT: DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE
DIRECTOR: MARK KILMURRY
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: PRISCILLA JACKMAN
CAST: GAEL BALLANTYNE, DREW LIVINGSTON, TARA MORICE, ZINDZI OKENYO, JANE PHEGAN & CHRISTOPHER STOLLERY
DESIGNER: TOBHIYAH STONE FELLER
LIGHTING DESIGNER: ROSS GRAHAM
STAGE MANAGER: STEPHANIE LINDWALL
WARDROBE: ALANA CANCERI
DIALECT COACH: NICK CURNOW
PRODUCTION PHOTOS: CLARE HAWLER

Reviews

"Tara Morice shines as manipulative mother in tale of class war." Sydney Morning Herald

"Lindsay-Abaire’s play goes refreshingly against the grain...A well written play with complex characters in the hands of great actors...Mark Kilmurry's production is a real pleasure....relevant and interesting, with a sense of humour and emotional authenticity...It’s a message that should hit home in a pre-election atmosphere (here and in America)." Time Out

"Wickedly and wittily funny. Yet there’s a whole lot more going on than mere laffs...The twists and turns that occur between Margaret, Kate and Mike are skilfully woven and executed by the playwright and director Mark Kilmurry...Tara Morice is magnificent. She is rarely off-stage and carries the action and the emotional weight as if it were nothing...Gael Ballantyne is hilariously dowdy and formidable...a thoughtful and intelligent piece for grownups that keeps on giving." Diane Simmonds - Stagenoise

"Mark Kilmurry's production of Good People is slickly, skillfully staged." Australian Stage

"..a thoughtful play about opportunity and privilege...sharp-witted dialogue is expertly crafted not only to stimulate our minds but also to deliver some very big and clever laughs...Tara Morice leads a formidable cast...a production that will be remembered for its outstanding quality of acting." Suzy Goes See

"...absolute killer...the evening ended with the most heartfelt, urgent applause...Miss Morice is quite brilliant in the role...A grand job all round." Stage Whispers

"The performance received a standing ovation on opening night....I was gripped by this performance...an electric cast tackling life's hardest questions." Miss Hazey Eyed

"Director Mark Kilmurry has expertly executed this production, and gives an honest voice to Lindsay-Abaire’s skilfully woven script. He directs with an emphasis on truth, never playing for laughs, resulting in work that resonates and stimulates long after it’s over. It also is superbly cast, and this production is sure to be remembered for its phenomenal performances from the entire ensemble.Tara Morice is formidable as Margaret. She’s acerbic and dry with her humour, completely underplaying everything, resulting in a performance that resonates to the core. Christopher Stollery as Mike supports Morice superbly..he is completely captivating...As Dotti...Gael Ballantyne is sensational... As her nemesis Jean, Jane Phegan is delightful... This play is a wonder. It’s about race, class, gender politics and the choices we make in this unfair life of ours. The scene between Margaret, Mike and Kate is worthy of a Pinter. The tension never abates, and on opening night, audience members were physically on their edge of their seats. It’s a feat of pure genius from Lindsay-Abaire, and paired with Kilmurry’s direction and such an incredible cast, it’s the best piece of theatre I’ve seen in a long time." Theatre Now

"Mr Stollery and Ms Okenyo (at last in a role on a Sydney stage, that permits this actor to reveal her complexity of gifts), give dextrously excellent performances, and along with Ms Morice - in great form -, blister the production with a thrilling trio-entanglement in the major scene of the second act. The writing is crisp, witty and marvellously observed and structured, giving a thrilling word-by-word experience for an enthralled, and sometimes, to-be-appalled, audience....GOOD PEOPLE is really good writing, supported by a really good production, all round. Go." Kevin Jackson's Theatre Diary

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