Fond Love and Kisses
Paranoia and magic at a Lord of the Rings Convention.
Production Details
Downstage theatre, Wellington, 2003 Extracts, NZ Drama School, 2005 Director – Murray Lynch. Dramaturg – Philippa Campbell With: Kelson Henderson, Danielle Mason, Mick Rose, Danielle Mason, Jo Smith
Script History
Extracts performed NZ Drama School 2005.
Produced 2003 at Downstage.
Downstage workshop; 2001.
Public reading at Playbox Theatre (now the Malthouse), Melbourne; 1998. Directed by Peter Evans.
PlaymarketNZ supported workshop; 1999.
Fond Love and Kisses received development support from PlaymarketNZ for a workshop and some money towards my travel.
From the reviews
“Bravo to Allen O’Leary for telling a bitter truth about wartime New Zealand, and doing so with such insight and compassion.” – Sunday Star Times
“Fond Love and Kisses is a multi-faceted drama that comprehensively takes its central characters through confrontation, crisis and catharsis… a consummate work of theatre art that demands you ask questions of it. And the more you think the answers through, the more it rewards you…. Anyone who has grown up in New Zealand will have someone in the family or a neighbour, teacher or colleague who was directly affected by what the play covers. Both times I saw it, the audience was riveted, appreciative and still engaged beyond its short two-hour running time.” – National Business Review
Full credit must go to O’Leary for his well researched play, which encompasses divergent locations of ‘war is hell’ on the front lines and the difficult domestic environment which the soldiers encountered… Absorbing and honest throughout, this was a play of soaring emotions.” – Capital Times