Don's Party
Don's Party | |
---|---|
Written by | David Williamson |
Date premiered | 1971 |
Place premiered | Australia |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy-drama |
Setting | Suburban house |
Don's Party is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The play opened on 11 August 1971 at The Pram Factory theatre in Carlton.[1]
Plot
Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and baby son in the Melbourne suburb of Lower Plenty.[2] On the night of the 1969 federal election Don invites a small group of friends to celebrate a predicted Australian Labor Party (ALP) election victory, much to the dismay of his wife. To the party come Mal, Don's university mentor, and his bitter wife Jenny, sex-obsessed Cooley and his latest girlfriend, nineteen-year-old Susan, Evan, a dentist, and his beautiful artist wife Kerry. Somehow, two Liberal supporters, Simon and Jody also come.
As the party wears on it becomes clear that the Labor party, which is supported by Don and most of the guests, is not winning. As a result, alcohol consumption increases, and the sniping between Don and his male friends about their failed aspirations gets uglier, as does their behaviour toward the women. Mack, a design engineer whose wife has just left him, pulls out a nude photo of her for his friends' approval. Crass womaniser Cooley pursues the available women. The disillusioned wives exchange tales of their husbands' sub-par sexual performance. By the end of the night, Don and some of his friends have begun to grasp the emptiness of their compromised lives.
The play led to a 2011 sequel, Don Parties On.
Film version
See Don's Party
References
- v
- t
- e
- The Indecent Exposure of Anthony East (1968)
- You've Got to Get on Jack (1970)
- The Coming of Stork (1970)
- The Removalists (1971)
- Don's Party (1971)
- Jugglers Three (1972)
- What If You Died Tomorrow? (1973)
- The Department (1975)
- A Handful of Friends (1976)
- The Club (1977)
- King Lear (1978)
- Travelling North (1979)
- Celluloid Heroes (1980)
- The Perfectionist (1982)
- Sons of Cain (1985)
- Emerald City (1987)
- Top Silk (1989)
- Siren (1990)
- Money and Friends (1991)
- Brilliant Lies (1993)
- Sanctuary (1994)
- Dead White Males (1995)
- Heretic (1996)
- Third World Blues (1997)
- After the Ball (1997)
- Corporate Vibes (1999)
- Face to Face (2000)
- The Great Man (2000)
- Up for Grabs (2001)
- A Conversation (2001)
- Charitable Intent (2001)
- Soulmates (2002)
- Flatfoot (2003)
- Birthrights (2003)
- Amigos (2004)
- Operator (2005)
- Influence (2005)
- Lotte's Gift (2007)
- Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot (2008)
- Let the Sunshine (2009)
- Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica (2010)
- Don Parties On (2011)
- At Any Cost? (2011)
- Nothing Personal (2011)
- When Dad Married Fury (2011)
- Managing Carmen (2012)
- Happiness (2013)
- Rupert (2013)
- Cruise Control (2014)
- Dream Home (2015)
- Jack of Hearts (2016)
- Odd Man Out (2017)
- Credentials (2017)
- Sorting Out Rachel (2018)
- Nearer the Gods (2018)
- The Big Time (2019)
- Family Values (2020)
- Crunch Time (2020)
- The Great Divide (2024)
- Aria (2024)
- The Puzzle (2024)
- Stork (1971)
- Libido (1973)
- Petersen (1974)
- The Removalists (1975)
- Eliza Fraser (1975)
- Don's Party (1976)
- The Department (1980) (TV movie)
- The Club (1980)
- Gallipoli (1981)
- Duet for Four (1982)
- The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
- Phar Lap (1983)
- The Last Bastion (1984) (TV series) - also produced
- The Perfectionist (1987) (TV movie)
- Emerald City (1987)
- Travelling North (1987)
- Touch the Sun: Princess Kate (1988) (TV)
- A Dangerous Life (1988) (TV mini-series)
- The Four Minute Mile (1988)
- Sanctuary (1995)
- Brilliant Lies (1996)
- Dog's Head Bay (1999) (TV series)
- On the Beach (2000) (TV series)
- Balibo (2009)
- Face to Face (2011)