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The play profiles Spike Milligan, a man special for his uniquely humorous exposition of the absurdities and cruelties of life
and also for the honesty and courage of his fight against manic depression.
Incidents from Spikes childhood, war experiences and professional life are juxtaposed with elements from his poetry and
humorous writings.
The result is a play of light and shade, humour and gritty reality just as Spike has probed the hoys and darkness of
the human heart.
The play aims to also raise community awareness of manic depression and through sponsorship aims to profiles a means of
support for both sufferers and their families.
The play is very sensitive to the problem of mental illness and strongly signifies the following message to the audience
which William Styron wrote
For those who have dwelt in depressions dark wood, and known its inexplicable agony, their return from the abyss is not
unlike that of the poet, trudging upwards and outward of hells black depths and emerging at last into what he sees as the
shining world.
The play is in workshopping and rehearsal for performances in February 2004. This is a great opportunity to raise community
awareness through the arts and is a great deal of fun too.
The play features the creative anarchy of the Goons and takes more than just a nostalgic look at the golden age of radio
comedy. Rather, the play is a complex, humorous and endearing portrait of a unique relationship between Spike Milligan and
Peter Sellers which represents the triumph of the comic imagination over the dire circumstances of depression and war.
Performance Venue : James Mills Drama Centre, Trinity Grammar School, Summer Hill.
Performance Dates : February 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th 2004.
Performance Time : 7.30pm
REVIEW OF DRAINING THE MIRROR
Last night a small but appreciative audience in the James Mills Drama Centre witnessed the world premier performance of
Draining the Mirror by our own master playwright and director, Brendan Duhig.
The play boasts Brendan's brilliantly written script, based on years of research into the lives and works of those wonderfully
sad clowns, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers.
The story is a poignant one, filled with laughter and tears, woven together with all the zaniness of some of the famous
Goon Show characters and scenes.
The production is a finely crafted piece of theatre, performed with great panache by Andrew Filmer, Jordan Raskopoulos,
Marianne O'Connell, Chris Richardson and Jeremy Bell. A simple but very effective set has been designed and decorated by Vanessa
Johnson and Brendan.
Congratulations to Brendan and all the cast and crew.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Whether you are a Goon Show fan or not, don't miss it!
Allan
Dr Allan Pride
Head of English
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