Synopsis

A suburban Australian home in the 1950s, where the promise of progress and prosperity clash with the realities of domestic dissatisfaction and social change.

Bill and Morna, a middle-class couple, navigate the shifting landscape of post-war Australia as they host Bill’s old friend Gordon and his wife Jennifer. As the evening unfolds, tensions rise and long-held beliefs are challenged, exposing the cracks in their seemingly idyllic lives.

Oakes’ incisive drama peels back the veneer of 1950s optimism to reveal the underlying anxieties of a nation in transition. Through sharp dialogue and subtle power shifts, the play explores themes of gender roles, class dynamics, and the conflict between tradition and modernity. The claustrophobic suburban setting becomes a microcosm for larger social issues, forcing characters to confront their own prejudices and unfulfilled desires.