Dark comedy The Viewing Room is being considered for production by Whanganui Repertory. Photo / Getty Images
Opinion:
Recently Repertory Theatre was approached by American scriptwriter Mark Smith inviting us to consider his play The Viewing Room for production in Whanganui.
It's a dark comedy. The story is that Chester has passed away but the higher powers have ordered him to return to the family to settle
unresolved issues, clear up misunderstandings.
He makes his appearance to his startled family in the Viewing Room. Once his widow and adult children recover from their shock, they bombard him with questions as to why he behaved towards them in the way that he did.
Chester is revealed to be a hard-working, largely well intentioned, controlling and emotionally bankrupt father and husband. To be fair, he probably wasn't very different to a lot of men of his generation, scarred by the years of the Great Depression and the Second World War.
