Banana Republic
In a world of lies and tarnished ideals, sometimes all you can do is laugh at it. In 'Banana Republic' a group of young friends try to rebuild the world one sharehouse at a time when they start up a commune at home.
Drawing inspiration from television sitcoms, the play takes a light-hearted look at serious
issues. French Director Irish Gaillard and local playwright Anthony Noack team up again after their debut at Melbourne Comedy Festival 2011.
Julian is a self styled entrepreneur. The trouble is that he’s never had the gumption to move beyond his
job flipping burgers. His flatmate Jen, a well dressed and spoken law student, has started dating Geoff, a latte sipping revolutionary. Julian thinks he sees through Jen’s new activist lifestyle, so he tricks Jen into turning their sharehouse into a commune. Julian thinks it will be an easy case of waiting until Jen's selfish ways bring their utopia undone. However things take an unexpected turn when Dill, their unemployed flatmate, uses the commune’s money to start online trading on the stock exchange. Tensions escalate between Julian and Jen and when their own mini version of the G.F.C. occurs, their sharehouse utopia becomes a representation of global economic woes.
Banana Republic takes major elements of Australian political life and compresses them into the lives of the characters who share a single home.
Anthony Noack is a freelance writer and theatre maker. He is author of the book 'Eaglemont', the plays 'The Gift' and 'Brighter Whiter', and a number of short films.
Iris Gaillard studied theatre at Cours Florent and ENSAD in Paris. She was co-founder and artistic director of "Compagnie de l'Imminence", which toured France and enjoyed two successful seasons in Avignon, presenting fragmentary narrative plays. She's based in Melbourne since 2011.
Director's quote: I want to expose the mechanics of a TV set and exploit them as devices for a live performance. It's about revealing the production of "fun", questioning the process and playing with it. I want to offer the audience a perspective on what they're watching as well as great entertainment.
"Overall this is a fantastic hour’s entertainment easily worth the price of entry." - Crikey
"...a worthy inclusion as part of the Comedy Festival lineup, providing the audience with a steady stream of laughter for 60 minutes" - Theatre People
"...tight, well-paced and thoughtfully structured," - The Age
Banana Republic
VENUE
The Owl and the Pussycat
34 Swan St
Richmond, Victoria 3121
DATES: 26 Sept - 7 Oct
Tuesday - Sunday
TIME: 7.00pm (75min)
TICKETS
Full: $20
Concession: $15
Tightarse Tuesday: $15
Preview: $15
Group: $18
TO BOOK visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666
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