STC’s new Austen-tacious comedy of manners
Image: Ryan Panizza, Roman Delo and Celia Ireland in STC's Hubris & Humiliation. Photo by Rene Vaile
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
When Jane Austen wrote the opening line to her iconic novel, Pride and Prejudice, she was reflecting societal attitudes during the Regency Period (1811 – 1820) in England. Australian playwright, Lewis Treston wishes to do the same thing, sort of, except he is reflecting current day Sydney and has replaced “wife” with “husband”.
Hubris & Humiliation is a new work from the young, talented and very prolific Treston. It is an homage to Austen, not just Pride and Prejudice, but to all her tropes, narrative ideas, characters and language, and to her sharp, intuitive observation of social norms. And it’s all done through a queer lens.
“So much of what Austen was doing was bringing a very warm and humorous look at the society she lived in and I think Lewis is doing a very very similar thing now but of course looking at Australian culture,” says Hubris & Humiliation director, Dean Bryant. When Bryant reads Austen, he finds her funny in a “juicy” way that is a little camp.
“[She] understands the ridiculousness of human pretention – and self pretention, because the Austen characters are often very aware of their own failings, and I feel like that can be like a form of camp.”
That lends her work to the kind of queer make-over that Treston has given it.
The plot of Hubris & Humiliation begins in Brisbane then takes us to Sydney, Berlin and back again. A mum (played by Celia Ireland) who has run her family into massive debt hits upon a plan to send her gay son out into the world to find and marry a wealthy man.
While the play is uproariously funny, in it Treston – like Austen – examines human nature and the sense and sensibility (wink) of the times, asking questions such as what does it mean to be rich in Sydney? Gay in Sydney? A hot gay? What even is sexuality?
It’s hilarious but it’s also really moving,” says Bryant, adding: “It’s pretty sexy, too.”
There’s a great soundtrack, too, with lots of pop hits and classical music, and a bit of dancing from the cast.
Originally developed through STC’s Rough Draft program for new work, Hubris & Humiliation’s world premiere season will be presented in association with Sydney WorldPride.
“And I think that’s perfect,” says Bryant.
