Sanctuary - Bakehouse Theatre, Adelaide

Bob King, renowned foreign correspondent for his coverage of events in Cambodia, East Timor, Kuwait and Guatemala, is confronted in his luxurious home, his sanctuary, by an under whelming PhD student, John Alderston, whose thesis is a critical biography of King unearthing some hidden facts disguised as truth.

Written in the mid nineties, David Williamson’s Sanctuary departs from the light-hearted social commentary that we have come to expect, presenting a script that is fused with a resenting undercurrent on both sides, rich with black humour that ignites a time bomb of ideological and pragmatic dilemmas.

Joh Hartog’s direction allows the actors to fully expose their characters as flawed and lacking any moral conviction. Peter Green as Bob King and Kurt Murray as John Alderston handle the wordy script well, confronting the issues of truth and responsibility, life and death, building up each act to reveal a disturbing conclusion.

Bakehouse Theatre Company’s latest production, while morally challenging, is politically and psychologically engaging.

Every man may have his price but in the end will it buy him his Sanctuary?

Sanctuary
Bakehouse Theatre, Adelaide; Bakehouse Theatre Company
Saturday 17 May 2008.

Review by Rohan Shearn.
Plays till 31 May. Bookings: (08) 8227 0505