A striking and gritty performance of Jack Hibberd’s 1972 black satire
Presented by: Solus Productions
Reviewed: 25 June 2025
A Stretch of the Imagination is a satirical journey back to a particular moment in rural Australia at the end of the 1800s to the start of 1900s. The play was written by Jack Hibberd and first performed at the Pram Factory in Carlton in 1972.
The staging, props and language immediately transport the play back to an Australia where a sense of lingering isolation was a constant for many working the land. Inside the Holden Street Theatres’ The Studio, the audience walks by a fence line of old timber, surrounding leaf littered yard. The farmhouse in the form of a basic tin shack with a single door and window sits in the corner. It’s an impressive set up that coats the entire stage in everything, in particular how little the main character has.
The play is a one man show following Monk O’Neill (Marc Clement) who aches and groans as he crawls both onto and off the stage to bookend the performance. Clement fully embodies Monk, a man coming to the end of his life who seemingly wants to reclaim, or at least, justify how he came to be all alone on the property One Tree Hill.
The tales of the people Monk has met, his lovers, fights, and time in France are performed with a passion that occasionally drifts into a stylistic mania. Each life story created a spark in the character that Clement completely embodied with the excitement, pain, or dismissive joy the moments required. It was an animated performance with all the grit and physicality of an older man hungrily recounting his history.
Haunting ticks initiate and taunt throughout the play. The sound and lighting design underscore Monk’s final plight and emphasises his struggle to constantly find something to do.
A Stretch of the Imagination is a fascinating approach to satire and parody of Australian cultural identity and social expectations. Monk is an unpleasant character who has little empathy for others. This production treats the audience to that full experience while through physical performance they continue to hint that he’s still a person with a full life behind them.
A lot of the satirical commentary comes in the words of the script, which the directors have kept as originally written while updating the theatrical side for this production. There are mannerisms and movement coordinated into the majority lines, which boosted the manic aspects of the character. This stood out in particular with Clements facial expressions and intensity in his eyes.
Handily, upon arrival at the Holden Street Theatres, a glossary of terms is provided as part of the ticket. It is worth allowing time to skim over the brochure prior to the performance in order to get the most out of the work.
A Stretch of the Imagination starring Marc Clement and directed by Tony Knight runs through to the first weekend of July.
4 Stars. A striking and gritty performance of Jack Hibberd’s 1972 black satire.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Photo credit: Richard Parkhill
Venue: The Studio, Holden Street Theatres, 34 Holden Street, Kaurna Country
Season: 25 June – 5 July 2025
Duration: 100mins
Tickets: $30 + $3.30 booking fee
Bookings: https://www.holdenstreettheatres.com/a-stretch-of-the-imagination
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