Primrose Hill and Kissing For Australia are two plays written by Adam Zwar. Both were monologue pieces that effectively told the tale with minimal audio and visual elements.
Primrose Hill took us to London in the late Nineties in the form of an over the top adventure involving various celebrities and plenty of tawdry sex. Vivid descriptions from our storyteller and a Britpop soundtrack, both pre-show and during key scenes, helped transport us there. Paul Denny performed the piece with great attention to detail of the character voices and some great physicality. It was such a performance that added a cartoonish quality to both characters and story that provided plenty of laughs. The program notes stated that ‘some of the quotes attributed to some of the celebrities are on the public record’ which allowed a degree of humour to come through recognition of the people they came from as well as the context they were spoken. I’m not sure if it would have been as satisfying for an audience member who happened to not know who half these celebrities were, but Adam has wisely chosen some big names for inclusion in the play.
The second play, Kissing For Australia, was played by Adam Zwar himself and told the story of a relationship with its highs and lows. Adam showed a more restrained performance than the higher energy first half of the program, dispensing with vocal mimicry to instead assume the role of straight storyteller. The tale was told whilst pacing the minimal set, the reason for which was revealed at the conclusion. In his program notes Adam described it as an angry play, which it does become, but the integration of many humorous lines throughout kept the laughs flowing through the tale. The main character’s warmth, naivety and down to earth nature kept us glued to his words, no matter what path he took us down.
Seeing this show during Earth Hour added a wonderful dimension to it. The stage was circled by tea light candles and stage lighting was reduced. I’m not sure if it was deliberate, but both plays made mention of candles and mood lighting which added some extra knowing giggles.
Adam showed us two different aspects of his playwriting talent. It was a wonderful package of theatre that while not both billed as comedic pieces, had us laughing at the appropriate moments and kept us wholly entertained.
Visit the comedy festival website for bookings and further details