Gold Coast review - Divorce Party: What a Swell Party!

By Douglas Kennedy

Divorce Party

By Michelle Macwhirter

Gold Coast Little Theatre

Written and directed by Michelle Macwhirter

Assistant director and musical director Michelle Watkins.

Season continues until April 12.

Popular Gold Coast Little Theatre regular Michelle Macwhirter has penned a bitter-sweet, but ultimately fun-loving ‘girls night in and out’ play for the company, while making her directing debut.

Divorce Party is a classical slice of chick click bait, which hooks female theatre going audiences, and often has the blokes chuckling as well. That’s a good commercial move as women are often the driving force when it comes to fronting up to the box office and committing to a night out at the theatre.

There was a packed house for this world premiere, and no one was disappointed as an energized cast and crew delivered on opening night.

This time around the format for the women, to share their hopes, fears and innermost secrets is a supposedly private intimate party for one of their number who is getting divorced.

Housewife and mother, Lila (Tamara Hamilton), has been married for more than a decade of what appears to be drudgery. When we first meet her, she appears to be something of a sad sack – even dressed down – who is at everyone’s beck and call.

Her old friend and dynamic events manager, Kimberly (Sativika Karan), has called three of Lila’s oldest friends, Gemma (Kate Learmouth), Peaches (Jordan Walsh) and the now singing sensation Lady (Amy Young) to an apartment she’s hired for the night.

Kimberly, who is one of life’s insistent organisers, has laid down the rules for the night, which the landlord insists must not to be a party. This is to be a quiet supportive night in with each guest hosting a 55 minute activity and a total ban on non-organic wines, partners and strippers.

But Divorce Party is in part a comic romp so naturally there’s going to be some slip roads along the way carrying the girls off into a world of confrontation and chaos, ending in a roof top party club.

There’s also a token male in the shape of Joshua Bicanic playing four comic cameo characters, including the landlord, a sham fortune teller, and awkward self-styled stripper and a confused drunk.

The five female players have done a first-class job of creating strong individual characters, who each have their turn in the spotlight, while director newcomer Michelle Macwhirter makes a good fist of keeping a delicate balance between the acting talents.

Among the standout features were Kate’s seemingly fun-loving Gemma, Jordan’s ditzy and later drunk Peaches and Amy Young’s Lady belting out Pink’s hymn to a romantic breakdown “So What”.

The team that created the two special sets in act one and two deserve a special mention, and the GCLT for giving local writing talent a go.

The move paid dividends as everyone on opening night seemed to be saying what a swell party this is!

And for once the cast could go on without having to find an American accent.

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