La Mama to stage Australian premiere of dark comedy in April

La Mama will present the Australian premiere of Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt next month, bringing Nicola Watson’s Patrick White shortlisted play to Melbourne audiences for a limited season in Carlton.

Running from April 8 to 26 at La Mama HQ, the production centres on three old friends who reunite for a long-awaited weekend away in an isolated bushland Airbnb.

What begins as a retreat focused on self-care, wine and reconnecting soon takes a darker turn as a storm closes in and the group begins to question whether they are truly alone.

The production features Alexandra Aldrich, Tess Masters, Rebecca Bower and Rosie Traynor, and is directed by Anne Browning.

Watson said the play explored the tension between people’s values and their actions.

“I guess I’m interested in the performativity of ethics: what we say we should do vs what we are willing to do vs what we actually do,” she said. “Ultimately, the play is a comedy with a goal to make us laugh, but to also catch a glance of ourselves in the mirror and consider what we see.”

Director Anne Browning described the work as a sharp and uncomfortable reflection on modern life.

“Nicola’s play is a refreshingly honest window into the inevitable collisions that occur when we try to have it all, the moral high ground alongside the comforts of the modern world,” she said.

La Mama said the production would confront audiences with a contemporary moral dilemma, in turns amusing and horrifying them. The show runs for 90 minutes.