Henna Night

Being told that your partner is leaving you for another person is hard. Having that other person want to meet with you, so as to ‘iron out’ any animosity between you, before you have even met, is just plain confronting. Henna Night is just that.

Judith’s boyfriend has left her for another woman. On a diet of cigarettes and alcohol, Judith falls into a spiral of depression. In that state, she leaves a phone message for her ex-boyfriend:

“I went to Boots [chemist] today and I bought a packet of henna and some razor blades… I thought, ok, I’m going to go home, drink a bottle of wine, and then depending how I feel tomorrow morning, I’ll either slash my wrists or dye my hair. Either way, I’ll ruin my bathroom carpet.”

To her utter horror, she answers her door to find Ros, her ex-boyfriend’s new partner, wanting to talk. The two women descend into battle, as each seeks to protect their right to happiness and love. The result is raw emotion, black comedy and sizzling debate

Director Glen Hamilton explained that Henna Night is an “intelligently written” and intimate story of “how women can deal with a broken heart”. As Hamilton notes, some spectators might even “recognise themselves in the play”.

This, the Australian premiere of Henna Night, promises a perceptive insight to the intimacy and rivalry of female relationships. (RP)

Jul 5–9, 9.45pm. Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo. $25. Tickets & info: oldfitztheatre.com

BY RAFFAELE PICCOLO