Desire of the Moth is a 1966 Australian play by James Brazill.[1]
| Desire of the Moth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | James Brazill |
| Directed by | Raymond Westwell |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | melodrama |
| Setting | outback station |
Premise
editOn an outback station, a married woman yearns for her old lover. She later engineers his suicide and goes insane.
Production history
editIt received a professional production in 1966 starring Googie Withers and Ed Devereaux.[2] It was produced for J.C. Williamsons Ltd.[3]
Withers said "It is the first Australian play I feel I can tackle. "We have high hopes for it. It is a human relations play set on a lonely sheep station in Australia. Up until now Australian play writers have followed the same pattern of rollicking Australiana, kangaroos, the outback and all that sort of thing. They can't go on writing in that vein and we are hoping for more Australian-written plays."[4]
The play was Brazill's first produced play.[5] He was a librarian.[6]
The season lost money.[7]
According to Leslie Rees "Critics unequivocally condemned Desire of the Moth and aspects of its production, but the author later declared that sixty thousand people saw it in the two cities."[8][9]
Reception
editThe Australian Jewish Herald said "The best that can be said is that the play is straight theatre, easy to follow and a good vehicle for Googie Withers to display her ample talents."[10]
The Canberra Times called it "a full bore melodrama".[11]
The Age said "Mr Brazill has more to learn about writing dialogeue."[12]
The Bulletin called it a "Strindbergian opus".[13]
References
edit- ^ Reeves, John; Freedley, George (1968). A history of the theatre. p. 771.
- ^ "World premiere". The Australian Jewish News. Vol. XXXII, no. 25. Victoria, Australia. 4 March 1966. p. 11. Retrieved 23 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "No Revolution for "The Firm"", The Bulletin, John Ryan Comic Collection (Specific issues)., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 12 Mar 1966, nla.obj-702245694, retrieved 23 April 2024 – via Trove
- ^ "Googie Withers arrives". The Canberra Times. Vol. 40, no. 11, 330. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 December 1965. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Nine New JCW Shows". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 November 1965. p. 12.
- ^ "ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Playwriting: No Instant Way", The Bulletin, Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 19 Feb 1966, nla.obj-702148014, retrieved 23 April 2024 – via Trove
- ^ McCallum, John (1979). Life with Googie. p. 217.
- ^ Rees, Leslie (1987). Australian drama, 1970-1985 : a historical and critical survey. p. 370.
- ^ Kippax, HP (30 December 1966). "Desire of the moth". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
- ^ "Futile Flutterings". The Australian Jewish Herald. Vol. 88, no. 3. Victoria, Australia. 18 March 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 23 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Leisure TV Drama Music Art Books Radio The Arts". The Canberra Times. Vol. 40, no. 11, 410. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 March 1966. p. 11. Retrieved 23 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Suspense was missing". The Age. 7 March 1966. p. 5.
- ^ "Papier-mache", The Bulletin, Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 19 March 1966, nla.obj-702165161, retrieved 23 April 2024 – via Trove