The Boys are back...
"It's that thing you see all the time, on street corners and outside pubs... it's a kind of energy, and it's full of nothing but evil."
Griffin Theatre Company's new production of Gordon Graham's The Boys is being lauded as a "knockout" (Crikey) and "immediate, confronting, explosive" (TimeOut).
It's a palpably contemporary piece of theatre, featuring innovative lighting and set design (Renée Mulder and Verity Hampson respectively) and a powerful use of sound ("a great harsh, steely score by Kelly Ryall" - The Australian).
At the same time, the production - directed by Griffin's Artistic Director, Sam Strong - is an experience tinged wtih nostaglia for those who saw the original production, or indeed the acclaimed film of the same name.
The Boys was 'prompted' (although not directly inspired, says Gordon Graham) by the public response to the brutal murder of Sydney nurse Anita Cobby in the late 1980s.
The play debuted for Griffin in 1991, with a cast including David Wenham, David Field and Lynette Curran as Sandra, the matriach.
Seven years later the story re-emerged in a film directed by Rowan Woods and adapted for the screen by Stephen Sewell. The film saw Wenham and Curran reprise their roles, with Toni Colette, John Polson, Anthony Hayes and Anna Lise Phillips, as well as Jeanette Cronin as Jackie.
Cut to 2012 and Sam Strong's production sees Jeanette Cronin cast this time as Sandra. She has an even earlier association with the play, having been involved in the very first reading, Australian National Playwrights Conference in 1988.
If the reception this production is getting is anything to go by, The Boys is a piece of theatrical writing that will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.
The playscript The Boys is available here.
The film script is available here, through Currency Press.
For those in Sydney, Griffin is hosting a forum discussion featuring creative artists from the three major stage and film incarnations of The Boys: playwright Gordon Graham, 1991 stage director Alex Galeazzi, lighting designer and production manager of the 1991 stage production and producer of the 1998 film Robert Connolly, and director of Griffin’s latest production Sam Strong.
We Need To Talk About the Boys
Join us on the stage where it all began to discuss the play’s impact 21 years ago, the process of transforming the play into a film, and the legacy and resonance of the work for a new generation.
Saturday 21 January, 4:45pm (duration 1 hour)
The SBW Stables Theatre
Free event
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