Honour

Climbing the long-term marriage mountain can be by all accounts an emotional, physical, and some may argue spiritual challenge. I say this officially knowing that my husband of many years will read these words. Love relationships, of the marriage variety, usually start off butterfly stomach thrilling, progresses to yikes this is harder than I thought and then work their way up the mountain to – well the view from up here is alright considering the options below.

The same can be said, kind of, for Ensemble Theatre’s latest play Honour. Throw in a grown-up daughter Sophie, played by Poppy Lynch, and you may see yourself reflected from the stage. Huw Higginson as George, Lucy Bell as his wife Honor, and Ayeesha Ash as Claudia inhabit their characters to such a point, I wanted to shake George till he came to his senses, usher Claudia out of the frame altogether and sit down with a cuppa or red wine in hand and have a good girlie heart-to-heart with Honor.

Come on, George, really? We have all known a George, if only from afar. Same re Honor and Claudia. Sophie, the daughter caught in the crossfire of a modern mid-life marriage meltdown, tries to carry on regardless.

In a nutshell, Honor and George have been married for 32 years and, as in all good marriages, have made some compromises along the way. While George forged his career as a writer, Honor left her promising literary career of her own and dived into motherhood – with no regrets. Their world seems unshakeable and quite interesting – until young and tenacious Claudia arrives on the scene and disrupts the equilibrium of their seemingly perfect lives.

George is attracted to her beauty and ambition. Claudia is drawn to his intellect and status. After the shock of George’s infidelity settles, all must find a way to make meaning of the painful consequences that follow.

Delve into the depths of human frailty and our capacity to love with this thrilling modern Australian classic—a not to be missed, funny yet frank exploration of intimacy and relationships. 

CAST

CLAUDIA AYEESHA ASH
HONOR LUCY BELL
GEORGE HUW HIGGINSON
SOPHIE POPPY LYNCH

WRITER JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH
DIRECTOR KATE CHAMPION
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER SIMONE ROMANIUK
LIGHTING DESIGNER DAMIEN COOPER
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER NATE EDMONDSON
STAGE MANAGER ERIN SHAW
COSTUME SUPERVISOR RENATA BESLIK
STAGE MANAGEMENT SECONDMENT ISAAC BARRON
SOUND DESIGN SECONDMENT ZACHARY SARIC

Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli

Showing now – 05 Jun 2021

90 mins (no interval)

For tickets visit: ensemble.com.au

Top photo: Lucy Bell as Honor and Huw Higginson as George ©Prudence Upton