AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART
Pam and Don, two normal Australians, thrown into an extraordinary situation. “We call him Don Dullardy, although we invented the Dullardy part,” says Russell Kiefel, most recently seen gracing the stage of productions The Power of Yes, Our Town and A Streetcar Named Desire. “He’s a really ordinary guy,” continues Kiefel, “He works for the council, lives in Strathfield, and is heading towards retirement.”
And then into an existence of crossword puzzles and children’s football clubs blusters the cruel wind of change. Wife Pam, played by TV sitcom Offspring’s Linda Cropper, is terminally ill – and with the news that her treatment is no longer working, the pair are faced with a heartbreaking decision.
“She has decided that all she can see ahead of her is a quick descent into pain,” says Kiefel, “but Don doesn’t want to let go.”
Although premised on the ultimate goodbye, the play, initially penned in 48-hour whirlwind by Tom Holloway, is really a love story. “They’ve been together for 40 years, he really loves her,” says Kiefel. “He’s a decent family man with a family conscious. He tells a story about when he was young, discovering how diamonds were formed. He decides to bury a piece of coal and then as an old man dig it up and give the diamond to his family. He thinks like that for a kid of seven!”
In an age of celebrity, fast-track marriages and divorces, and constant aspiration for more, this bare bones study promises to a breath of true-blue air. “It’s a beautiful piece of writing, that is not didactic and doesn’t preach or teach. It just puts a situation, on a stage.”
Jul 29-Sep 3, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $28-47, 8019 0292, griffintheatre.com.au
