Iconic Australian play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll to visit

By Gabriel Garcia

Sep 8, 2022

Bittersweet romance: Riverlinks will play host to the iconic Australian play *Summer of the Seventeenth Doll* on September 22. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, the iconic Australian play first performed in 1955, is coming to Mooroopna’s Riverlinks WestSide venue on September 22 for one night only.

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The play depicts the trials and tribulations of two Queensland cane cutters who are forced to relocate to northern Queensland for seven months a year, every year for 16 years and their struggle to maintain their relationship with their girlfriends who work in Melbourne as barmaids.

It’s a story of passion, bittersweet romance and the yearning for lost youth.

When the show was first staged in 1955 it became an instant hit. Success in Melbourne was followed by a national tour before moving to London’s iconic West End where it won an award for best new play.

The current edition of the play is being directed by the AACTA Award-winning Denny Lawrence, whose previous production successes have included Shirley Valentine, Always… Patsy Cline, Educating Rita, Glorious! Hotel Sorrento and My Brilliant Divorce.

Riverlinks venues manager Ken Cameron said the story, though nearly 70 years old, remained relevant today.

“It is the enduring story of challenges faced by a group of friends and lovers, triggered by one change that turns everything upside down,” he said.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll will be performed on Thursday, September 22 at 7.30pm. Tickets range from $30 to $41 and can be bought in person, online or through the Riverlinks box office.