An unsettling play about infidelity seen from the perspective of the three women involved: the wife, the lover and the daughter.
George and Honor have been happily married for thirty-two years. She is a successful writer, he is a revered columnist. They have a perfect understanding of each other. Until a pushy young female journalist - on an assignment to 'profile' George - quite deliberately seeks to undermine that understanding. The fallout is dreadful - but beautifully and convincingly portrayed in all its painful consequences.
Joanna Murray-Smith's play Honour was first performed at the Playbox Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, in November 1995. It received its UK premiere, in this revised version, at the National Theatre, London, in February 2003, and was revived in the West End in 2006.
About the Author :
Joanna Murray-Smith is Australian. Most of her plays were first performed in Melbourne, including Rapture, Redemption, Atlanta, and Love Child, which was then staged all over Australia. She has also written short stories, a children's book and a novel, Truce, published by Penguin, Australia. Honour marks her British debut. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children.
Review :
'A stinging bulletin from the frontline of the gender wars... clinically dissects the notion, the nature, of love'
'Murray-Smith's considerable skill lies in charting the minute emotional shifts and the subtle power play between the four people... Superb'
'Murray-Smith's writing is searching and droll, naturalistic and poetically honed'
'An old story, but thanks to the quality of the writing and acting we share the characters' sense of sailing into uncharted waters... And there are some excellent comic touches... the piece deserves full credit for its honesty and dramatic grip'
'It's an intelligent, powerful, gripping piece'
'A really powerful new play. Joanna Murray-Smith is the most exciting Australian dramatist of her generation'
