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One of his best yet. Set in a playground of a fictitious boys high school during the ‘60s – before boys in the Band, Stonewall and Oxford Street all made their impact – it centered on four teenage boys who meet, joke, tease each other and gradually discover the nature of their sexuality, with none of the upfront guidance teenagers seem to have.
The characters ranged from Steve, the most ‘out’ of the four, to Graham who saw it, (or wanted to see it) as a ‘phase,’ preferring to cultivate a ‘cultured, sophisticated’ image which, more often than not, got him into trouble.
Between them were Tarli and Justin, both attempting to come to terms with their sexuality, while being caught between competing (but ultimately, not) views of the others. With Elbow Grease Lowe captured a significant period in the development of gay awareness, providing a reminder for those who were around then, and an understanding for those who weren’t, of what it was like.
- Larry Galbraith looks at Sydney gay theatre in 1983, Campaign, January 1984 (page 44) |
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The central theme to emerge from the play is the story of young homosexuals going through the transition from naivety, to experience, to practising acceptance. The four roles as written go a long way toward covering the gamut of this very personal experience we all go through in our own ways.
The subject matter is skilfully treated to allow plenty of laughs at schoolboy innocence, but it is always underlined with varying emotional responses such as nostalgia, anger, or hope for future generations being given a better deal by adults and peers.
- John Bridges, 9PM, 8 September 1983 (page 18) |
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