Jugglers Three

Juggler's Three is an Australian play by David Williamson. It was based on the breakup of his first marriage, when he left his pregnant wife for a woman who left her husband.[1][2][3]

Juggler's Three
Written byDavid Williamson
Date premiered17 July 1972
Place premieredRussell St Theatre, Melbourne
Original languageEnglish
SubjectVietnam War

Background

The play was commissioned by John Sumner of the Melbourne Theatre Company in mid 1971. Williamson submitted a storyline called Return from Vietname about a conscript, Graham, who discovers his wife, Karen, has left him for an economist, Neville. The play was originally titled Third World Blues but the MTC requested this be changed to Juggler's Three. The play underwent many revisions, and at one stage included sequences set in Vietnam.[4][5]

The first production was very well reviewed and later transferred from Russell St Theatre to Harry M. Miller's Melbourne Playbox Theatre, which was rare for Australian plays at the time[6]

Williamson later called the play "a hysterical and unresearched piece of melodramatical nonsense."[5]

Third World Blues

Williamson later reworked the play again in 1996 as Third World Blues.[7] This was done at the behest of Wayne Harrison, the director, who was an admirer of the original play. There had been a well publicised conflict between Harrison and Williamson over the staging of Heretic but they reunited for this play.[5]

Williamson rewrote the play after researching by talking to Vietnam veterans and counsellors saying "I slowly started to realise just how traumatic war and combat is for most participants." He also made key structural changes saying "the original was virtually in farce form - there was something like 39 entrances and exits. It's down to 19 now, which structurally makes it half as farcical as before."[5]

References
  1. Gemma England, "Biography: David Williamson: Behind the Scenes by Kristin Williamson", MC Reviews 29 June 2009 Archived 2 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine accessed 26 Oct 2012
  2. Jones, Dave (1 January 1974). "David Williamson". Cinema Papers. No. 1. p. 8.
  3. Dow, Steve (11 January 2020). "David Williamson on retirement, politics and critics: 'For years I couldn't go to an opening night'". The Guardian.
  4. Kiernan p 74-78
  5. Cochrane, Peter (14 March 1997). "Williamson's World". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 15.
  6. Kiernan p 108
  7. "Background to Third World Blues", Performing Arts Collection Archived 2011-03-31 at the Wayback Machine accessed 26 Oct 2012

Notes
  • Brian Kiernan, David Williamson: A Writer's Career, Currency Press, 1996
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