General Club News

“A direct theatrical hit, a boulevard comedy bull’s-eye” London Evening Standard

Gustav, Henri and Philippe are three First World War veterans who spend their days on a quiet terrace of their military nursing home, meeting every morning to reflect on the peculiar circumstances in their equally peculiar nursing home. Nothing changes much for these men, until Gustav hatches a daring escape plan.

After meeting these three elderly oddballs, it becomes doubtful the scheme is destined for success. How could it? Henri is a romantic with a gammy leg who enjoys watching the pubescent girls at the nearby school. Philippe has a paranoid fear of being murdered by Madeleine, the tiny demanding nun who runs the home, and he’s also prone to passing out at odd moments due to a piece of shrapnel in his head. Gustav, the most commanding of the three, suffers from agoraphobia and extreme distrust of his fellow humans.

Will Henri realise that his dreams of dating young women are just that; dreams? Will Philippe’s paranoia lead him to the coincidental death he has predicted? Can Gustave get past the front gate?

Heroes, is a gentle comedy that sparkles with Tom Stoppard’s trademark wit and wordplay. His Olivier Award winning translation of Gerald Sibleyras’ Le Vent de Peupliers gives us a sense of what loneliness can do to people.

Director Jon Halpin says, “In 2006, Artistic Director Michael Gow asked me if I thought Heroes would be a good play for Queensland Theatre Company to produce. I’d only read about five pages by the time I knew it would be a hit. The characters are incredibly engaging yet at the same time hilariously flawed and Stoppard's dialogue has all his usual sparkle and wit. Having actors of the calibre of Dennis Olsen, Robert Alexander and Max Gillies in the cast simply makes the prospect of directing this play all the more exciting.”

“Achingly funny, and piercingly sad”
The Daily Telegraph

DATE: Friday May 23rd @10.30am VENUE: Lismore City Hall, Lismore
TICKETS: SPECIAL PENSIONER PRICE ONLY $28
Book securely online at www.norpa.org.au

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