TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE
Lust. Incest. Greed. Whores. It should come as no surprise that this 17th century tragedy penned by notoriously melancholic playwright John Ford has been dubbed one of the most controversial pieces in English literature. It continued to be condemned up until the 20th century – and even still, many found it hard to swallow. Its tale of incestuous passion between a brother Giovanni and his sister Annabella set in Parma, Italy, is said to be the template for Peter Greenaway’s infamous 1989 film The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover – and now courtesy of radical theatre company Cheek by Jowl, the uncomfortable subject matter gets a 21st century update.
When it debuted in Paris last December leading newspaper Le Figaro declared it was a, “Masterpiece … not to be missed,” and if the director Declan Donnellan and designer Nick Ormerod’s all-male Russian spin on Twelfth Night (circa Sydney Festival 2006) is anything to go by, it certainly won’t be easily forgotten. Take the challenge. We dare you. (AB)
Jan 17-21, Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $79-89, 1300 668 812, sydneyfestival.org.au
