Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt, at La Mama theatre

Jana Wendt was a highly accomplished TV current and public affairs presenter and journalist, who dominated our screens from the eighties to the mid noughties.

Think programs such as Sixty Minutes, A Current Affair and Sunday, all of which she fronted.

Although her name is in the title of this darkly comedic play, she only gets a look in towards the end of proceedings.

The piece is about socio-economic inequality. 

Photos by Darren Gill

Three old friends get together for a weekend getaway at an Airbnb in remote bushland.

The idea is simply to catch up, reconnect, relax, swap stories and have some fun in each other’s company.

First to arrive is greenie June (Rebecca Bower) who, after 12 years, has finally completed her PhD.

She is single with no savings, who doesn’t think twice about spending $330 on a nine-course degustation menu.

Next is May (Tess Masters), married with two children.

She used to teach at a private school in Melbourne and now she has moved to a struggling public school in regional Victoria.

She has just sold her apartment at a loss and money is a real issue for her.

A proverbial dark cloud is hanging over her. 

Finally, there is the privileged, but overtly anxious April (Alex Aldrich), a beauty therapist who claims to have worked hard to get to where she is today.

To her, status is clearly very important.

With wine flowing freely and a joint produced, laughter turns to arguments and protestations, as all see the world differently.

Each approaches life in the way they see fit, which doesn’t necessarily sit well with the others.

They are also not afraid to talk one-on-one, behind the other party's back.

As a literal storm brews and the lights go out, April swears she hears noises coming from the roof.

Is it a possum or possums, or is there someone else in the house with them?

Writer Nicola Watson says the main characters are products of her inner critic, wider circle and closest friends. 

They are fierce and flawed, funny and scathing, right and wrong.

She plays up the contradictions to generate amusement, starting with their over-the-top greetings.

With April, May and June, Watson focuses on the issue of morality and what it means to do the right thing.

Being virtuous in our own minds is not the same as being seen as virtuous by others – a point emphasised throughout Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt.

Each of the players leans into their exaggerated personas well.

It is very much about their delivery and how they carry themselves.

They go over the top for laughs … and get them.

There is a passion about Rebecca Bower as June, a scowl and drunken slur in Tess Masters as May, while Alex Aldrich brings wide-eyed indignation to April.

Jack Burmeister’s sound design highlights the spookiness of isolation, which is amplified by lighting designer Tom Vulcan.

Set and costume designer Bianca Pardo gives us a simple but effective country style retreat in which the action takes place.

She dresses the “months” in keeping with their perceived image – April is neat, elegant and curated, May is dowdy and June sporty.

Eighty minutes without interval, director Anne Browning is adept at playing with the pointed ridiculousness that is inherent in the script.

Shortlisted for the 2023 Patrick White Playwrights’ Award, Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt is on at La Mama theatre until 26^th April, 2026.