Ham Funeral

Title: Ham Funeral
Author: White, Patrick
Price: $25.99

An early expressionist drama written in 1948 which explores the spiritual forces that propel us forward. The play created controversy when it was rejected for the 1962 Adelaide Festival of Arts by a Board who thought it was too 'difficult' for the general public to understand. Its premiere production by the Adelaide University Theatre Guild in November 1961 was acclaimed by critics and audiences and it transferred to Sydney.The production encouraged White to write further plays.

Set in a squalid British boarding house, the play tells the story of a young poet, who lodges with Mr and Mrs Lusty, a bloated, gluttonous pair. When her husband dies abruptly, Mrs Lusty announces a grand funeral featuring a lavish feast, in his honour. Driven by her incontinent appetite, she attempts to seduce the young poet, with comically tragic consequences.

Cast : 6M, 4F


Patrick White (19121990) was born in London but spent his early years in Australia. He studied in Australia and Cambridge, travelled widely, served in Greece and the Middle East during the Second World War. He settled in Australia after the war and wrote many successful novels. He received a number of major awards including the 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature. His stage plays include Return to Abyssinia (1947), The Ham Funeral (1961), The Season at Sarsaparilla (produced 1962), Night on Bald Mountain (1964), Big Toys (1977), Signal Driver (1982), Netherwood (1983) and Shepherd on the Rocks (1987).

Publisher: Currency Press Pty Ltd
Publication date: 01/06/2012
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780868199627
Publishing status: AU Dropshipping in stock