Fame, feminism, fortune, family and fascism – all the F’s shone brightly within The Kingdom of Eucalypts, The Enigma of Miles Franklin, a brilliant new play written by Alice Spigelman and directed by the legendary Moira Blumenthal, now showing at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre in Sydney.
1932 saw Miles Franklin return to Sydney after years of living abroad. Desperate to have her writing published, frustrated by money woes, feelings of failure and having to live with her elderly mother in the suburbs, she struggles to reignite her youthful success when she wrote the much-lauded My Brilliant Career. If there was ever a woman born out of her time, it must be Miles Frankin, a wildly talented yet deeply complicated woman.
“The play sees Miles’ struggle as an artist underscore her drift into a potentially dangerous political situation and she was not alone in this. The 1930s saw a rise in nationalism, a push by some Australians for the country to become its own nation and break with Britain. The play does not accuse Miles of being a fascist but explores what happens when ambition and the need to succeed takes precedence over clear thinking,” said playwright Alice Spigelman.
Through the prism of the social norms prevalent within Australian society in the first half of the 20th-century, audiences get to experience the pressure heaped on the shoulders of an ambitious single woman who, put simply, yearned to write – to be seen and heard, above all else.
Well respected actor, Beth Daly inhabits Miles Franklin in her later years and gives a tour de force performance in the role. Miles’ disappointment, frustration, and, indeed, desperation leapt off the page onto the stage and from the stage into the hearts and minds of the audience. Desperate to be published, older Miles’ life appeared as an emotional and professional rollercoaster of a journey until it finally collapsed around her. I couldn’t help but think how different her life could have been had Miles Franklin been born in 1979 instead of 1879.
Younger Miles sacrificed love for independence because, at that time, a woman (it seemed) couldn’t have both. Sarah Greenwood does a marvellous job portraying younger Miles with youthful hopefulness – a girl not long out of her teens who nevertheless had a clear vision of how her life would unfold. James Coetzee revealed the essence of nice guy Edwin Bridle’s character trait; there was no missing the tenderness between Miles and her beau.
Alice Livingstone gave a master class in acting and could easily change her name to Susannah Franklin (Miles’ mother) as far as the audience was concerned, as one became the other. Susannah revealed herself to be wise, hilariously cranky and, as we found out, full of regret. She did not hold back her opinions, and one had to wonder if mother and daughter were more alike than they cared to admit.
Older Miles desperately sought an Act 2 (of sorts) which had her grasp for support from her wildly mercurial friend, Inky Stephenson, portrayed by the uber-talented Lloyd Allison-Young. Inky was revealed to be a man full of promise until his idealism spun out of control and crashed head-first into a growing admiration for Hitler – sadly, his fascist hero until the end. Inky certainly gave older Miles equal parts hope and hopelessness, but you had to admire his enthusiasm, if nothing else.
Do not miss this thought-provoking deep dive into the life of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, known to lovers of prose as Miles Franklin, one of Australia’s all-time gifted scribes. Superb acting by all involved mixed with inventive set design by Kate Beere and beautiful atmospheric music composed by the multi-talented Lloyd Allison-Young. And a huge shout out to designer Martin Kinnane for clever use of lighting and to stage manager/ production manager/ sound designer, Aaron Robuck for keeping the show on the road.
CAST
Alice Livingstone – Susannah Franklin
Beth Daly – Older Miles Franklin
Lloyd Allison-Young – Inky Stephenson
James Coetzee – Edwin Bridle
Sarah Greenwood – Young Miles Franklin
CREATIVES
Director – Moira Blumenthal
Playwright – Alice Spigelman
Dramaturg – Timothy Daly
PRODUCTION
Set, Costume and Props Designer – Kate Beere
Lighting Designer – Martin Kinnane
Stage Manager/ Production Manager/ Sound Designer – Aaron Robuck
Music Segments Composed by Lloyd Allison-Young
The Kingdom of Eucalypts
Bondi Pavilion Theatre: Queen Elizabeth Dr, Bondi Beach
90 Minutes no interval
Tuesday 11am & 7.00pm | Wednesday 2pm & 7.00pm | Thursday 11am 7pm |
Friday 11am | Saturday 7.00pm only | Sunday 2.00pm & 7.00pm
Tickets
Full $87.63 | Seniors $72.75 | Concessions & under 30 Adult group 20 plus $51.75
Student $21 Preview $62
School Groups $20 School performance available weekdays – 11.00am, 2.00pm, 7.30pm
+ 2 x complimentary teacher tickets.
For schools and group bookings contact email: moirablumenthalproductions@gmail.com
For general public tickets visit: events.humanitix.com/the-kingdom-of-eucalypts
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