A Fool in Love is delightfully ridiculous and sharp-witted: social satire at its finest

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Van Badham’s A Fool in Love at the Sydney Theatre Company lampoons the modern Sydney vibe: a city obsessed with wealth, status and, of course, love.

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The Conversation

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https://theconversation.com/a-fool-in-love-is-delightfully-ridiculous-and-sharp-witted-social-satire-at-its-finest-221320

Retrieved on:

Monday, February 12, 2024

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SYDNEY

Summary

Key Points:

Van Badham’s A Fool in Love at the Sydney Theatre Company lampoons the modern Sydney vibe: a city obsessed with wealth, status and, of course, love.
We find ourselves in a world obsessed with private schools, linen attire, and the maintenance (if not stock-piling) of funds.

What’s love got to do with it?

To sustain his lavish lifestyle and secure the dwindling family fortune, he faces the daunting task of orchestrating the marriage of his eldest daughter, Phynayah (Contessa Treffone).
To inherit her eccentric uncle’s remarkable fortune – and maintain her family’s coveted social standing – Phynayah must marry before she’s 30.

The tale of making love to Phynayah is not as straightforward as it seems.
Beautiful, and soon to be in possession of great wealth, Phynayah could be perceived as a modern catch: but these days suitors want more.

Frothy tales

In this electric and funny rendition directed by Kenneth Moraleda, Badham invites us to comment on the economics of love. While Jennifer Lopez told us “love don’t cost a thing,” economic data would argue otherwise. The aspirational suitors, the “new money”, are from Western Sydney and other “undesirable” burbs. In seeking to seduce Phynayah (or Vanessa), they are swallowed in frothy, silly, hapless tales.

If we were to extend back historically, this kind of mating based on wealth, social or cultural is old news.
Badham is not only inviting us to reflect on the economics of love but also gender and cultural politics.
It is distinctly pervasive for women who are generally represented as having (or being) too little or too much.

A Fool in Love challenges us to consider this widening divide and growing social inequity through the lens of the tomfoolery of love.
The haves and have nots of linen wardrobes – and also of privilege.
Read more:
Another tale of two cities: access to jobs divides Sydney along the 'latte line'

Lisa Portolan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.