Capricornia (The Play)

Written by Louis Nowra and based on the novel by Xavier Herbet, this play is an epic journey into Australian identity and racism. The scene is far north Queensland, where ‘the wet’ is a personality all of it’s own, and a variety of ethnic groups struggle to co-exist. Lead character Norman Shillingsworth struggles to resolve the contradictions of being a half caste but raised a white. Good intentions go astray, friendships are betrayed, criminals turn out to be good people and good people turn out to be criminals. Through it all, love desperately clings on.

The play is an epic – 3 1/4 hours long. but don’t worry, the plot is intricate and beautiful – you never feel like it’s dragging. The staging is powerful, but not distracting attention away from the fantastic performances of the actors that really make this play what it is. It’s not all grim either – there’s just the right amount of humour to break up an otherwise intense theatre production. The Sydney Morning Herald also has a review if you don’t like mine.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars