Synopsis
“The Lunch Hour” is a black comedy about five struggling artists working in a box office call centre. Chris (30) and Catherine (40) are writers and best friends; Felicity (29) and Simon (32) are a couple, and both actors; and Fran (35) is a performance artist. Desperate for their first big break, they decide to pool their creative resources and apply for a $25,000 playwriting competition. The subject of this group-devised play will be Martin, their 55 year old boss and nemesis. Each of them will create a section, writing to their own individual strengths, and the final work will be called “Aspects of Martin.”
Martin has himself been trying to make it as writer since his early 20's. But the only work of his to have been produced is a play called “Turn the other cheek”, which was savaged by the critics when it premiered at the 1988 Mardi Gras Festival. Martin is a figure of daily ridicule for his staff, and, whether or not they realise it, everything they fear they will become.
The play opens on the day of the competition deadline. Tensions run high as the staff rush to put the finishing touches on their application, whilst reluctantly answering the phones. As usual, Martin struggles to keep control. The looming deadline also amplifies personal tensions in the group: the extent of Simon's reluctance to work with Felicity comes to a head when a secret writing relationship is revealed; Chris and Catherine fall out over the content of her section of the play; and Fran turns up late, having not even started.
As lunch time approaches, the whole project teeters on the edge of collapse. Will they finish their application? Is the fact that they are working together actually holding them all back? Is anyone being honest about why they haven't finished? And are they so obsessed with taunting Martin that they might abandon their real creative endeavours? It all comes down to how much they can get done in their lunch hour.
A month later - the day the competition winner is to be announced. The staff arrive for work as usual, only to discover that Martin isn't there and his office has been cleared out. On each of their desks is a letter and a play manuscript. The letter is from the organisation funding the fellowship, informing Martin, in advance of the official announcement, that he has won. The scripts are copies of Martin's winning play, “The Lunch Hour”. There is uproar in the office. How could Martin have won? They flick though the play and discover that Martin has named a character after each of them. In fact, the entire playis about them. Although reluctant at first, the staff soon decide that rather than working, they will perform Martin's play - each of them playing their namesake roles.
At first, “The Lunch Hour” is clumsy and there is much vengeful laughter from the group. But a few pages in, it starts to touch on some painful truths. It becomes clear that beneath his prissy exterior, Martin has the cold, truthful eye of the outsider. His play presents the office and its staff in a completely different light – darker, lonelier, more emotionally honest. It uses the daily lunch break as a window into their inner lives: how do they use this precious time away from the office? What are they like away from the fun and games, the distractions, the group mentality? One by one, the spotlight is turned on each staff member, and we start to understand what is
happening beneath the surface. Simon retreats from a valuable acting opportunity for fear of losing his relationship; Felicity can't face that Simon is a much better actor than her and uses emotional blackmail to control him; Chris begins play after play, but fears and anxieties prevent him from finishing any; Catherine finds writing about her own life too painful and therefore cannot find an authentic voice; and Fran sabotages herself at every turn due to a lack of self-confidence. It soon becomes clear why the staff never even finished their application for the competition.
As “The Lunch Hour” comes to an end, the staff are unsure how to proceed. Martin, their nemesis is gone, having finally broken free from the office by transforming his own pain into a play that has something to say to an audience. The mood in the office is sombre. Everyone feels exposed and raw. Will anyone change their ways as a result of the play? Has seeing the truth about themselves been a transformative experience?
Catherine and Felicity take a few tentative, difficult steps towards acknowledging their real selves. But for some this is too painful, and they work hard to convince the others to retreat from truths of “The Lunch Hour” and return to the safe haven of denial – to cling to the idea that the enemy is not within, it is Martin and the rest of the world. Chris stands up and starts singing. Someone else takes up the tune and the others develop it. It becomes clear that we are watching the closing number from the never-completed “Aspects of Martin”. It is as scathing and funny as anything they have done before – a magnificent celebration of denial. The show reaches a
rousing, triumphant climax, and the curtain falls.
“The Lunch Hour” is a black comedy about five struggling artists working in a box office call centre. Chris (30) and Catherine (40) are writers and best friends; Felicity (29) and Simon (32) are a couple, and both actors; and Fran (35) is a performance artist. Desperate for their first big break, they decide to pool their creative resources and apply for a $25,000 playwriting competition. The subject of this group-devised play will be Martin, their 55 year old boss and nemesis. Each of them will create a section, writing to their own individual strengths, and the final work will be called “Aspects of Martin.”
Martin has himself been trying to make it as writer since his early 20's. But the only work of his to have been produced is a play called “Turn the other cheek”, which was savaged by the critics when it premiered at the 1988 Mardi Gras Festival. Martin is a figure of daily ridicule for his staff, and, whether or not they realise it, everything they fear they will become.
The play opens on the day of the competition deadline. Tensions run high as the staff rush to put the finishing touches on their application, whilst reluctantly answering the phones. As usual, Martin struggles to keep control. The looming deadline also amplifies personal tensions in the group: the extent of Simon's reluctance to work with Felicity comes to a head when a secret writing relationship is revealed; Chris and Catherine fall out over the content of her section of the play; and Fran turns up late, having not even started.
As lunch time approaches, the whole project teeters on the edge of collapse. Will they finish their application? Is the fact that they are working together actually holding them all back? Is anyone being honest about why they haven't finished? And are they so obsessed with taunting Martin that they might abandon their real creative endeavours? It all comes down to how much they can get done in their lunch hour.
A month later - the day the competition winner is to be announced. The staff arrive for work as usual, only to discover that Martin isn't there and his office has been cleared out. On each of their desks is a letter and a play manuscript. The letter is from the organisation funding the fellowship, informing Martin, in advance of the official announcement, that he has won. The scripts are copies of Martin's winning play, “The Lunch Hour”. There is uproar in the office. How could Martin have won? They flick though the play and discover that Martin has named a character after each of them. In fact, the entire playis about them. Although reluctant at first, the staff soon decide that rather than working, they will perform Martin's play - each of them playing their namesake roles.
At first, “The Lunch Hour” is clumsy and there is much vengeful laughter from the group. But a few pages in, it starts to touch on some painful truths. It becomes clear that beneath his prissy exterior, Martin has the cold, truthful eye of the outsider. His play presents the office and its staff in a completely different light – darker, lonelier, more emotionally honest. It uses the daily lunch break as a window into their inner lives: how do they use this precious time away from the office? What are they like away from the fun and games, the distractions, the group mentality? One by one, the spotlight is turned on each staff member, and we start to understand what is
happening beneath the surface. Simon retreats from a valuable acting opportunity for fear of losing his relationship; Felicity can't face that Simon is a much better actor than her and uses emotional blackmail to control him; Chris begins play after play, but fears and anxieties prevent him from finishing any; Catherine finds writing about her own life too painful and therefore cannot find an authentic voice; and Fran sabotages herself at every turn due to a lack of self-confidence. It soon becomes clear why the staff never even finished their application for the competition.
As “The Lunch Hour” comes to an end, the staff are unsure how to proceed. Martin, their nemesis is gone, having finally broken free from the office by transforming his own pain into a play that has something to say to an audience. The mood in the office is sombre. Everyone feels exposed and raw. Will anyone change their ways as a result of the play? Has seeing the truth about themselves been a transformative experience?
Catherine and Felicity take a few tentative, difficult steps towards acknowledging their real selves. But for some this is too painful, and they work hard to convince the others to retreat from truths of “The Lunch Hour” and return to the safe haven of denial – to cling to the idea that the enemy is not within, it is Martin and the rest of the world. Chris stands up and starts singing. Someone else takes up the tune and the others develop it. It becomes clear that we are watching the closing number from the never-completed “Aspects of Martin”. It is as scathing and funny as anything they have done before – a magnificent celebration of denial. The show reaches a
rousing, triumphant climax, and the curtain falls.