At the risk of underselling it, it's been a rough couple of months for democracy. The public's faith in political institutions has tanked and, to be honest, it's hard to imagine that changing anytime soon. So it is, with a rather depressing sense of timeliness, that Aidan Fennessy's The Way Things Work makes its Victorian debut.
On stage at Red Stitch from January 31 through to March 5, the two-man production begins with a minister under the pump after a key infrastructure project goes disastrously wrong. What unfolds from there is a tale of corruption and ego in the corridors of power. Sound familiar to anyone?
The Way Things Work earned strong reviews during its initial NSW run, where it no doubt hit especially close to home. The Melbourne production will be directed by Fennessy, with actors Joe Petruzzi and Peter Houghton treading the boards.