The Fourposter By Jan de Hartog

directed by Laurel Smith

set by John Doucet

Costumes by Sharah Waghorn

Lighting David Magladry

A production of the Perth Classic Theatre Festival

CAST Lindsay Kyte as Agnes / Scot Clarkson as Michael Reviewed by

Iris Winston

From their wedding day in 1890 to the day they moved out 35 years later, their fourposter bed was a symbol ofmarital stability for Agnes and Michael. Jan de Hartog’s award-winning two-hander of scenes from a marriage (also popular as the 1966 musical, I Do, I Do by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt) remains a charmer 60 years after it was written.

In dramatizing key moments from the euphoria of the wedding night, through the joys and trials of parenthood to the possibility of infidelity, the empty-nest years and moving into growing old together, de Hartog proves that the institution of marriage really has not changed much over the years.

Societal changes — gender balance in the workplace, for instance — have created obvious differences, but both the amusing and moving encounters between Agnes and Michael are as recognizable today as they were when de Hartog wrote his comedic tribute to the state of matrimony.

The spirited Classic Theatre Festival production of The Fourposter, directed by the company’s artistic producer Laurel Smith, places some emphasis on the dictum of there being a good woman behind every successful man, as Agnes supports Michael on his way to fame as a novelist.

Scott Clarkson delivers a subtle performance as husband Michael, building from the effervescence of youth to convincing portraits of hypochondria, self-importance and anxious parenthood of an apparently wayward son.

Lindsay Kyte is also effective as his wife Agnes, although such repeated mannerism as looking coyly up through flickering eyebrows deny that she is growing older, as does her unchanged hairstyle. In the interests of pacing, changes in set dressings are minimal. While

this is understandable, it is unfortunate that—apart from costume changes—there is barely an indication of Agnes aging over 35 years, although Michael not only looks older but also loses the spring in his step and gains middle-aged pomposity very effectively.

Nevertheless, this entertaining production of The Fourposter, which continues to August 28, is well worth the trip to Perth.