The Ham Funeral

$23.99

Available here as a single edition
Also published in Patrick White: Collected Plays Volume 1

An early expressionist drama written in 1948 which explores the spiritual forces that propel us forward. The play created controversy when it was rejected for the 1962 Adelaide Festival of Arts by a Board who thought it was too 'difficult' for the general public to understand. Its premiere production by the Adelaide University Theatre Guild in November 1961 was acclaimed by critics and audiences and it transferred to Sydney. The production encouraged White to write further plays.

Set in a squalid British boarding house, the play tells the story of a young poet, who lodges with Mr and Mrs Lusty, a bloated, gluttonous pair. When her husband dies abruptly, Mrs Lusty announces a grand funeral featuring a lavish feast, in his honour. Driven by her incontinent appetite, she attempts to seduce the young poet, with comically tragic consequences.

APT