Daylight Saving – Darlinghurst Theatre Company

Overview

Nick Enright's Daylight Saving knocks over the pedestal of professional bliss in Pittwater. It's a play that premiered in the late '80s, but remains relevant. Head to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company to see past the fine wine and grilled lobster of the northern beaches... these successful characters are actually confused and alone.

The play pries into the tribulations of uber-successful Sydney couple, Felicity and Tom. Right from the start, many foreboding details indicate the drain down which their marriage is going. Tom (Christopher Stollery) is constantly on the move, has forgotten their anniversary and receives a phone call every time his wife needs to talk. Meanwhile, Felicity (Rachel Gordon) blushes at the word 'fidelity' and decides she'll have her anniversary dinner with her high school sweetheart Joshua (Ian Stenlake) instead.

The watertight facade constructed by Gordon is quite heart-wrenching. She portrays the long-suffering wife who pleases everyone and is selfless till breaking point. She's utterly lonely, and willing to do anything to rediscover intimacy/sensation. This desperation is echoed by the supporting characters whose intrusions are equal parts hilarious and painful. Felicity's Mum Bunty (Belinda Giblin) needs to be needed, next-door neighbour Stephanie (Helen Dallimore) falls in love with all the wrong men, and tennis hotshot Jason Strutt (Jacob Warner) craves praise and paternal influence.

All the technical elements of the production run seamlessly, and inconspicuously, in order to pull off this domestic Aussie drama. Quirky '80s nostalgia can be seen in Tom's unwieldy brick of a mobile phone and VHS recordings. The centrepiece of the set is the balcony window, where a brilliant sunset fades into night, almost in real time. The majority of the action, and Felicity's moral dilemma, take place on the evening before daylight saving. The diminishing rays of sunlight (of Gavin Swift's lighting design) tantalise Felicity to commit indiscretions during that 'extra hour'.

Daylight Saving reveals some aspects of our society: ordinary men suffer sport-gasms over professional athletes, and everyone is too busy talking about themselves to listen to anyone else. The characters have no time for self-awareness or reflection; they employ clairvoyants for that. We learn to hate the presence of that obnoxious telephone — constantly ringing and making meaningful connection impossible.

It's a well-timed re-staging of Nick Enright's play, made possible through the support of his family. It made me consider those couples you see out to dinner — each partner completely absorbed in a smart phone. Daylight Saving forces us to ask: how often are we really, properly listening to someone else? Will we prioritise the important people in our life before it's too late?