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Clip description
Sandra, the hospital deputy (Kerry Walker), goes backstage on opening night to introduce the show, unaware that they will perform Così Fan Tutte, not a variety show. Her confusion becomes highly audible as the curtain goes up. Doug (David Wenham), an unruly patient who had to be returned to a closed ward after he burned down the theatre, heckles from the cheap seats. Ruth’s obsession with serving real coffee in the opening scene (set in a café in Naples) results in Roy (Barry Otto) getting scalded. Henry (Paul Chubb) stutters through his lines, but the show goes on regardless. Cherry (Jacki Weaver), who’s secretly in love with Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn), throws herself on him in the heat of the moment. Zac (Colin Hay), the controller of the music, awaits his cue, but he has decided not to take his medication.
Curator’s notes
As the show gets underway, all the comic threads are drawn together for one glorious, farcical finale. The action and cutting are expertly mounted, and Joffe injects the scene with a great sense of chaos and joy, without patronising the patients.
