Summer Of The Alien Play Analysis

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Summer of the Aliens

Aliens, Aliens Aliens!! Who wants to see a play about Aliens? That was my first thought before seeing the play, I was really setting my mind up for what was to be a very boring play, but boy was I wrong!

It’s not a story about Romance, love or playful, Summery Days (as the title hints) in fact it’s the complete opposite, its dark and dirty, the summer heat blazing in through the window. The story is very realistic and not surprising, as Louis Nowra wrote it as semi-autobiographical.

Summer of the Aliens is what we call a ‘Memory Play’, by which Lewis is narrating his story of adolescence. Lewis tells lots of stories to his friends, about how aliens really are out there and how he saw a UFO fly past, but his friends as uninterested as ever, continue admiring the opposite sex. Lewis as innocent as
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Director Mark Morgan has really capture the look and feel of how Australia looked in the 1960s, It’s obvious that the actors have worked hard to identify with the unusual, mysterious and not very likeable characters we see on stage.

Kate Choraziak played Dulcie, Lewis’ tomboy best friend, who is desperate for love and affection, with shrill enthusiasm and energy. David Abbott soundly portrayed sex-obsessed Brian, Lewis’ other best friend, developing audience sympathy from initial dislike to understanding. Pip Tyrell’s acting experience was reflected well by Gilkes, a mother trying to bring up two children without a husband, and Roe, as bubbly teen Bev. Marcus Johnston as Pisano gave brief but welcome comi/tragedy relief.

At times the lighting seemed to leave the poor narrator in the dark but it is often hard to tell if this is by choice. Either way, I found myself having to search for the narrator once he started to speak.

Just the fact that Lewis was so innocent and fragile, was comforting for me as I found it easy to relate to him, as that was how I was