MARIAGE BLANC

Marriage makes us crazy. Sex makes us crazy. The opposite of sex also makes us crazy. And as for the opposite sex – well, enough said. All that craziness has been going on since the dawn of time, and despite all of our advances, we appear to be no closer to working out how to cope with desire, sexuality and other tricky aspects of the adult world.

As kids we are taught life’s lessons from fairytales – good from bad, right from wrong. So perhaps Sydney Theatre Company’s new production,
Mariage Blanc, a so-called ‘a fairytale for adults,’ is the primer we need to figure some of this stuff out.

Mariage Blanc, which is French for a ‘white marriage’ or one which hasn’t been consummated, was written in 1975 by one of Poland’s most distinguished 20th century poets and playwrights, Tadeusz Różewicz. According to the play’s director Sarah Giles, the playwright’s work is being brought to Sydney for the first time. The play is, “challenging, intense, hilarious and leaves a lot of space for the director’s interpretation, meaning no two productions could be similar.”

Set in Poland in 1890, it tells the story of the world of sex opening up to two young sisters Pauline (played by Katie McDonald) and Bianca(played by Paige Gardiner) as they prepare for the big M – marriage.

Giles promises a production that is, “inventive, playful and unique” with a, “surreal, absurd, funny and eclectic feel to it.”

Dec 1-16, Wharf 2, Sydney Theatre Company, $30, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au