Following the success of The Yellow Wave, 15 Minutes from Anywhere returns with a brand-new production of Jane Miller’s comic drama, Cuckoo at Melbourne’s The Unknown Union until 11 November 2017.
Cuckoo tells the story of Mel (Lauren Bailey) and Leo (Scott Gooding) who with their friend Dan (David Kambouris) have their lives turned upside down by the appearance of a mysterious young man (Luke Mason) who may or may not be Mel and Leo’s absent son. As the darkly comic events unfold, the play navigates ideas of truth, loss, belief and the true cost of happiness.
Cuckoo premiered at fortyfivedownstairs in a 2015 production directed by Alice Bishop and in returning to the text for this new production, 15 Minutes from Anywhere artistic directors, Beng Oh and Jane Miller had a number of aims.
Cuckoo had its premiere production in a full-scale theatre setting and for this incarnation we felt free to give it a different type of venue and style of production,” said Beng Oh, director & Co Artistic Director. “It has always struck me as a funny play about people who don’t know they’re unhappy.”
Performed at The Unknown Union, a bar and function space in Little Lonsdale Street, Cuckoo is the first in a series of pop-up pre-dinner theatre productions by 15 Minutes from Anywhere: early evening shows with early finish times so you can enjoy a drink and a performance straight after work and then head off to dinner, home or even another show.
Formed in 2013, 15 Minutes from Anywhere is the artistic collaboration between director Beng Oh and writer Jane Miller. Credits include True Love Travels on a Gravel Road, Cuckoo, Mein Kampf (fortyfivedownstairs), Motherf#%cker, P.O.V. Dave (La Mama) and The Yellow Wave (The Butterfly Club, La Mama). Their next work Just a Boy, Standing in Front of a Girl is being developed in late November as part of HotHouse Theatre’s A Month in the Country residency program.
Cuckoo
The Unknown Union, Level 1 – 361 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Season: 31 October – 11 November 2018
Bookings: www.trybooking.com
For more information, visit: www.15minutesfromanywhere.com for details.
Image: Cuckoo – courtesy of 15 Minutes from Anywhere