A devastatingly gripping drama, State Theatre Company South Australia presents the return season of the critically lauded Girls & Boys by Dennis Kelly at the Dunstan Playhouse – Adelaide Festival Centre from 2 August 2023.
She meets him in an airport queue and sparks fly. Their passionate love affair takes them to marriage, a mortgage, and children – an ordinary family life. Her natural working-class wit works to her advantage, and unexpectedly she starts rising above her allotted rung on the British social ladder.
The power dynamic between them shifts – imperceptible cracks become yawning gulfs – but when the house they built begins to fall, nothing prepares her for what happens next.
The innocent-sounding Girls & Boys is a searing one-woman show by Dennis Kelly, the celebrated wordsmith of in-yer-face classics like Osama the Hero and DNA, as well as the masterful dialogue for Tim Minchin’s Matilda.
A high-wire act balancing comedy and drama which has stunned audiences in London and New York, its stellar solo role is brilliantly filled here by Justine Clarke – whose versatility has seen her adored by audiences for her work on Play School to ARIA Award-winning albums and darker, powerhouse turns in Love My Way, Tangle and Look Both Ways.
“Working with Justine and the team on this knockout and important play was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” said Artistic Director of State Theatre Company, Mitchel Butel. “Her commitment, talent and bravery were mind-blowing to me and all her witnessed her.”
A ticking time bomb, Girls & Boys is an engrossing, edge-of-your-seat play that shifts gears from Fleabag-like wit and mischief to harrowing shock in a matter of seconds, and it will leave you breathless.
Whether seeing it for the first time, or revisiting, you won’t want to miss this return season of the unanimously praised, breakout hit of the 2022 Adelaide Festival.
“The first season of this production completely sold out. Do not miss the chance to catch it this time round,” added Butel.
“This is an extraordinary work and with Butel directing the magnificent Justine Clarke, it sings tour de force in all directions.” – The Barefoot Review
Director: Mitchell Butel | Featuring: Justine Clarke | Set & Costume Designer: Ailsa Paterson | Lighting Designer: Nigel Levings | Sound Designer: Andrew Howard | Composer: Alan John | Assistant Director: Rachel Burke | Playwright: Dennis Kelly
Girls & Boys
Dunstan Playhouse – Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: 2 – 5 August 2023
Information and Bookings: www.statetheatrecompany.com.au
Girls & Boys will also play the Theatre Royal, Hobart (10 – 12 August),
Image: Justine Clarke in Girls & Boys – courtesy of State Theatre Company South Australia