Premiere of Naked In the Fernery, at the Woodbin this Friday.

This Friday, "Naked in the Fernery" will have its premiere at Geelong's Woodbin Theatre. And when I say premiere, it is an original script, so it is a genuine premiere in the true sense of the word. "Naked in the Fernery" is a comedy that attempts to look inside the minds of middle aged men and looks at male sexuality. Primarily it deals with the central figure of Harry, a man in his 50s who is suddenly single again after decades of marriage, and attempts to dramatise what someone in his shoes might think and say and do. And it looks at the predicaments he gets himself into. There's the fear of being judged or labelled by a society which doesn't see older people as belonging to the single or dating scene, there's the question of age differences, there's despair and there's the longing for a reason to hope. The play is quite frank at times, too. Harry's friend Ed fantasises about lesbians while reeling in horror at the thought of gay men, all the while protesting that he is definitely not homophobic. At one point Ed claims to be writing a book about men and their sexuality and meantime learns from Lenny, a bald, middle-aged know-it-all and lady killer, that he doesn't know as much about the subject as he thought he did. Naked in the Fernery is an attempt to be a little daring and different and yet also is an unashamed piece of farcical silliness at heart, too. It aims to be a laugh and a bit of fun, first and foremost, while touching on some potent subjects. Stars Robert Trott, Adrian Sherlock, Jemillia Balog, Ray Jones. Opens at The Woodbin, Coronation St, Geelong West, this Friday at 8PM. All tickets $12.