Ninety, from Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, is a short portrait of a failed marriage where an artist and her ex-husband have one last 90-minute conversation before he is to re-marry to a young European starlet.
The 2008 play is the story of Isabel seeking closure while William ” played by Cataldo ” who tries to run from memories of their relationship.
Cataldo described William as ‘playful and charming but slightly over-the-top’.
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READ NOW‘He’s an actor who found international success relatively late in life and is immersing himself in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in an attempt to avoid accepting the painful and traumatic events he associates with his ex-wife,’ he said.
He said Ninety appealed to him because of the way the script ‘cleverly reveals layers of story as it unfolds’.
‘I also liked the way it explores and confronts the depth of emotion needed to deal with the process of healing a fractured relationship,’ he said.
‘A play for just two actors is difficult but exhilarating at the same time, so maintaining energy and concentration will be paramount in its success.’
Director Brendan Ellis, of Craigie, said Ninety was about denial and acceptance, acknowledging the past and then moving on. ‘They are themes everyone can relate to. The concept of immersing the audience in a situation most will know all too well but scarcely see from the outside really appealed to me.’