As part of the Short and Sweet Play Festival in Canberra, I am directing a play by Mike McRae called Presto. It concerns the nature of magic and comedy; theatre and deception, with some intense arguments and witty dialogue. It features a magician (Tony Cheshire) and his assistant (Sarah McCarthy), along with a rabbit (Michelle Cooper), a monkey (Paul Jackson) and a voice (Liz McRae).
If you are in the neighbourhood of the Courtyard Theatre (12-15 August), come and see it. Meanwhile, here are some of the great lines from the play. There are more, but I don't want to give too much away...
5 Lines from Presto:
- "Magic is all an act, you realise? It's storytelling? It's art?" - Assistant
- "I've been in the magic business since I was old enough to push coins up my nose, and I tell you, people love to be fooled." - Magician
- "Let me get this straight; several thousand years of scientific and philosophical inquiry has busted its balls to explain how the universe works, and people are paying you to hide that fact from them?" - Rabbit
- "Professor Chuckles is having an existential crisis. Thinks he's not funny. He's probably right, of course. Hobo clowns are so 1930s." - Monkey
- "It's time, Mr Amazing. Places everyone!" - Voice
