COMFORTABLE EYEBROW ARCH – ⭐️⭐️
The Dramatic Premise
It’s desperate times in the opulent, decadent and vacuous seaside town of Illescas.
Otto Otavio is in a state of high anxiety. He has two daughters, Vanessa and Phynayah. Vanessa’s the smart one. And Phynayah? Well, her smarts ain’t so obvious.
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
Phynayah’s vapidity, however, is the least of Otto’s worries. He’s facing financial ruin. But there’s a financial lifeline floating at the limits of his grasp.
His brother’s will leaves his wealth to Phynayah. But there’s a catch in the devilish detail. His fortune will be redirected to a mule festival in Spain if Phynayah is not married by her 30th birthday.
And her big three-oh is only weeks away.
Otto has corralled a parade of suitable suitors over the years. But, whilst attracted to her stunning beauty, a five-minute conversation with the pea-brained airhead leaves each of them wanting more.
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
Yet infernal hope burns eternal. There’s still time and a new suitor, or two, is in town.
Will Phynayah get hitched before her birthday? What about sultry Vanessa’s own desires? And is everything in the world of Illescas really as it seems?
A Fun Adaptation
A Fool in Love, we are told, is a modern update of La Dama Boba by 17th Century Spanish playwright, Lope de Vega.
Van Badham has done a terrific job balancing the wicked twists and tenuous turns of the original text with modern vernacular and contemporary themes.
Having been born far too late to see the original, I don’t know whether it was a laugh-a-minute rollick.
But A Fool in Love certainly had the matinee audience tittering and guffawing throughout its 135-minute run-time (plus interval).
Photo Credit – Daniel Boud / STC
For more information about Sydney Theatre Company’s production of “A Fool in Love”:
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