{"id":157357,"date":"2024-06-05T00:27:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T14:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=157357"},"modified":"2024-06-05T00:27:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T14:27:36","slug":"julia-mtc-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Julia (MTC) – theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was 9th<\/sup> October 2012 when Prime Minister Julia Gillard drew a line in the sand \u2026 when she refused to stay silent any longer.\u00a0To that point she had effectively put up with personal attacks and insults from her political adversaries and the media.\u00a0Those related to her spartan home environment, her looks, her choice of clothing, her unmarried status and her childlessness, let alone her political choices.\u00a0Among the most pointed was that she \u201cwas unfit for leadership because she was deliberately barren\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photos by Prudence Upton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On 9th<\/sup> October 2012, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott tried to drag Gillard through the mud as part of a no confidence vote to have Peter Slipper removed as Speaker.\u00a0But although Mr Slipper was a dead man walking because of crude and sexist texts he sent to an aide, Gillard refused to entertain Abbott\u2019s holier than thou bluster.\u00a0That was when, more than two years after becoming Australia\u2019s first female Prime Minister (the country\u2019s 27th\u00a0<\/sup>leader) on 24th<\/sup> June 2010, she struck back.<\/p>\n

Gillard\u2019s speech in parliament, when she slammed the misogyny, sexism and hypocrisy inherent in Abbott\u2019s remarks, bookends Julia, the play.\u00a0It has been crafted with an intense and acerbic eye by a remarkable wordsmith in Joanna Murray-Smith and realised with potency and poise by Justine Clarke.\u00a0In fact, hers is a bravura showing, an electrifying performance that sees 90 minutes flash by.\u00a0Through it, we get to know Gillard and what drove her \u2026 her influences, including her parents.<\/p>\n

At age eight she stated that she never wanted to have children. An accomplished debater, she had designs on teaching, but was persuaded to pursue a legal route.\u00a0She wanted to make a difference and once she began moving up the political ladder, Gillard had her eyes on the top prize, even though she would say otherwise.\u00a0Murray-Smith has injected a great deal of vitriol, as well as humour and pathos, into her script. She is astute in her observations of the political cauldron.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The barbs of Gillard\u2019s critics are particularly sharp, including broadcaster Alan Jones, who said her recently deceased father \u201cdied of shame\u201d over the PM\u2019s lies.\u00a0To her great credit, Clarke makes each word count. She allows the piece to breathe and for us, the audience, to soak it all in.\u00a0As Gillard, she is passionate, considered, determined, frustrated, indignant and reflective.\u00a0Arguably her greatest moment, claiming the top job is also marked by sleeplessness and fear, with the words of former Prime Minister Paul Keating ringing in her ears.<\/p>\n

Clarke moves around an ostensibly bare stage, aided by the occasional prop, brought out by fellow actor Jessica Bentley.\u00a0Clarke adopts the language and demeanour of key players, including the broad Australian accent of Gillard, the Welsh tone of Gillard\u2019s mother and Abbott\u2019s smirk. The play is all the better for it.\u00a0Powerful video imagery punctuates the work, underneath which there is a music bed.<\/p>\n

Regardless of your politics, it would be hard \u2013 I would say near impossible \u2013 not to be thoroughly engrossed by Clarke\u2019s superb endeavours.\u00a0She is buoyant, the play culminating with her verbatim recitation of Gillard\u2019s 15-minute speech on 9th<\/sup> October 2012, that resonated globally.\u00a0Clarke\u2019s style, her delivery, her affectations, her zest, her command of her art form are magnificent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With fine direction from Sarah Goodes, Clarke takes us on a journey, which we are all the richer for experiencing.\u00a0Hers is, indeed, a revealing portrait of a leader under duress.\u00a0Julia, an MTC staging of an STC and Canberra Theatre Centre production, is playing at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner until 13th<\/sup> July, 2024.<\/p>\n

Alex First<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was 9th October 2012 when Prime Minister Julia Gillard drew a line in the sand \u2026 when she refused to stay silent any longer.\u00a0To that point she had effectively put up with personal attacks and insults from her political adversaries and the media.\u00a0Those related to her spartan home environment, her looks, her choice of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":157362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[801],"tags":[3,680,8583,8584,73,3235,3518,1103],"class_list":["post-157357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-drama","tag-humour","tag-julia","tag-justine-clarke","tag-mtc","tag-pathos","tag-sarah-goodes","tag-southbank-theatre"],"yoast_head":"\nJulia (MTC) - theatre review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Julia (MTC) - theatre review -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It was 9th October 2012 when Prime Minister Julia Gillard drew a line in the sand \u2026 when she refused to stay silent any longer.\u00a0To that point she had effectively put up with personal attacks and insults from her political adversaries and the media.\u00a0Those related to her spartan home environment, her looks, her choice of...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-04T14:27:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/rsz_julia_-_justine_clarke_prudence_upton_.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alex First\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alex First\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alex First\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4\"},\"headline\":\"Julia (MTC) – theatre review\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-04T14:27:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":620,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/rsz_julia_-_justine_clarke_prudence_upton_.jpg?fit=800%2C563&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"drama\",\"humour\",\"Julia\",\"Justine Clarke\",\"mtc\",\"pathos\",\"Sarah Goodes\",\"Southbank Theatre\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Theatre\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/julia-mtc-theatre-review\\\/\",\"name\":\"Julia (MTC) - 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The former,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_1mtc_escapedalone_photopiajohnson_098_hero.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_1mtc_escapedalone_photopiajohnson_098_hero.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_1mtc_escapedalone_photopiajohnson_098_hero.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/rsz_1mtc_escapedalone_photopiajohnson_098_hero.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":160749,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/cost-of-living-mtc-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":157357,"position":4},"title":"Cost of Living (MTC) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"September 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Outstanding performances distinguish an extraordinarily insightful, Pulitzer Prize-winning script about the human condition in Cost of Living. Unfolding with heart, humour and pathos, it is a bravura production in every regard - simply stunning. Eddie (Aaron Pedersen) is lonely and desperately missing his wife Ani (Rachel Edmonds) who has passed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_6_aaron_pedersen_and_rachel_edmonds_in_mtc_cost_of_living_photo_by_pia_johnson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_6_aaron_pedersen_and_rachel_edmonds_in_mtc_cost_of_living_photo_by_pia_johnson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_6_aaron_pedersen_and_rachel_edmonds_in_mtc_cost_of_living_photo_by_pia_johnson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rsz_6_aaron_pedersen_and_rachel_edmonds_in_mtc_cost_of_living_photo_by_pia_johnson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":143019,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/cyrano-mtc-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":157357,"position":5},"title":"Cyrano (MTC) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"October 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Cyrano is a massive triumph. The MTC production of the season. A talented cast, headlined by writer and star Virginia Gay prove that the pen is mightier than the sword.\u00a0This is a contemporary rewrite of the classic play by Edmond Rostand about a French army soldier and gifted poet with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_mtc_cyrano_photo_jeff_busby_0117.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_mtc_cyrano_photo_jeff_busby_0117.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_mtc_cyrano_photo_jeff_busby_0117.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rsz_mtc_cyrano_photo_jeff_busby_0117.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}