Jack Hibberd’s A Stretch of the Imagination has been called “probably the most beautiful Australian play ever written” by Neil Jillett, Arts Editor of The Age. Written in 1972, it centres on Monk O’Neill, an aging outback recluse haunted by memory, regret, and the slow approach of death.
James Patrick Reed, beloved by Australian audiences through The Man from Snowy River Television Series, Blue Heelers, and Neighbours, brings every year of his craft to this role. His performance is physically and mentally demanding, darkly funny, and deeply poignant. As journalist Bob Crimeen wrote, “Hibberd’s masterpiece of hallucinations and shattered dreams gives the actor the chance to prove his mettle in tragic-comedy.”
Reed does exactly that, and then some.
This is a rare opportunity to experience a landmark of Australian theatre. Not to be missed.
