Happy Ending by Melissa Reeves

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Happy Ending explores the mid-life crisis of Louise, a woman in her 40s who develops an obsession for a Chinese masseur and, in so doing, unlocks the taboo subject of middle-aged female sexuality, as well as providing an interesting light on cross cultural interaction and Australia's multiculturalism. How much do white Australians really know, understand or even care about our Asian neighbours? Despite all our rhetoric about ‘the Asian century’ this play suggests that, in the very deepest levels of our psyche, notions of ‘exotic beauty’ and the fundamental power relationships of the colonial past remain unexamined and unresolved.

Sharply funny, often hilariously so, Happy Ending is also a bravely honest account of a woman's need for touch and intimacy, and speaks of the great longing we all have for such simple pleasures. Witty, clever dialogue and a delightfully naive characterisation of ordinary people struggling with their needs make this an engaging drama.