When director Samuel Farr was asked if there was a play he’d like to direct at Maylands’ Roxy Lane Theatre he seized the opportunity.
He knew he wanted to put on a work that spoke to the experience of being LGBTIQA+, and after searching through the different works available came across Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne.
“I came across this one and I was like ‘This is interesting'”, Farr said as he chatted to OUTinPerth co-editor Graeme Watson. “It’s 1950’s lavender scare, I ordered a copy and as soon as I read it it I feel in love, it’s amazingly well written.”
The ‘Lavender Scare’ refers to a systematic purge of people who were believed to be homosexual from the US federal government during the cold war era, based on the unfounded belief that homosexuality made people a security risk.
Having first discovered the play a year ago, Farr said its themes had only become more topical since US President Donald Trump’s return to power. Farr also found it intriguing to visit a story about gay rights in the pre-Stonewall era.
Payne’s play, which premiered off-Broadway in 2015, tells the story of Bob and Norma. They’re both employees of the US State Department and they’ve been given the task of finding sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover.
Farr said one of the things he loved about the play was it’s clever ability to alternate between comedy and drama, while showcasing a ‘slice of life’ from decades ago.
“It’s looking at the lives of these two men and these two women living this horribly intricate complex life due to the circumstances. It’s a little bit political. It’s a little bit about the sincerity and the aspects of the genuine that you get from queer life stories.” he shared.
As soon as he read the play he knew he wanted to stage a production, “Then, of course, Trump is elected and then lavender marriages started becoming a trending issue again. And the persecution of people within US government started hatching all over again.
“We’re already facing the same issues with trans identities at the moment, and then all of these old themes from the 50s are making a comeback now in 2025.” Farr said.
The director said he hoped local audiences would engage with the work because it’s putting a different type of LGBTIQA+ story on stage.
“Queer theatre is often just focused on that period of trauma that was faced in the 80s and 90s. This is set earlier. It’s a different trauma to be dealing with.”
Perfect Arrangement is playing at the Roxy Lane Theatre, 55th Ninth Avenue, Maylands from 7th – 24th August. Tickets are on sale now.
