TO THE DEATH

“Funny, fun and intricate,” is how writer/director Maddy Butler describes her dark comedy, To the Death. The 70-minute play explores the timeless share house dilemma – flatmates that drive us so crazy we feel we could kill them. And when roomies Rowena, Sasha and Eric reach the end of their tether they decide murder is the only solution. “I wanted it humorous but tense and serious. It’s definitely been a challenge to figure out where to draw the line between the comedy and darkness,” Butler explains. Her background has been writing in comedies so for this play she found Ibsen and Chekhov helpful influences when tapping in to the more dramatic plotlines. “When I started writing I thought it would be 50/50 but now it’s leaning more towards the comedy,” she continues. “Dark comedy works well and gives people the opportunity to laugh at something quite serious. The premise of the play is that things aren’t always as they appear and I want audiences to come out having experienced an emotional rollercoaster.”

Nov 30-Dec 11, King St Theatre (formerly Newtown Theatre), cnr King & Bray Sts, Newtown, $20-25, 8019 0294, newtowntheatre.com.au