An Ever-Changing Idiom

‘I unequivocally admire the courage and daring [Lawler] had to rail against both social conservatism in his choice of subjects and most especially theatrical conservatism in his use of language. But the worst, or perhaps the best of it, is that he has made me miss my grandmother terribly, the blunt beauty of her rough, abusive shows of affection, the way in which language provided a palpable armour against the pretensions of the class to which she did not belong.’


In An Ever-Changing Idiom, Alana Valentine presents a contemporary response to a treasured Australian play – a personal and surprising look at Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler. 


An Ever-Changing Idiom is part of Cue the Chorus, a series of ten thought-provoking responses to classic Australian stories.


The other titles in the series are:


1. The Makings of a Man by John Harding – a response to No Sugar by Jack Davis


2. Playing Awkward by Noëlle Janacewska – a response to The Chapel Perilous by Dorothy Hewett


3. Pulling Rabbits Out of Hats by Melissa Reeves – a response to Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell


4. Radiant Women on Radiant Country by Andrea James – a response to Radiance by Louis Nowra


5. Robin Shall Restore Amends by Hilary Bell – a response to Away by Michael Gow


6. Still Waters by Wesley Enoch – a response to The Secret River by Kate Grenville; an adaptation for the stage by Andrew Bovell


7. The Unexpected Feminist by Van Badham – a response to The Removalists by David Williamson


8. What Goes Around Comes Around by Kate Mulvany – a response to Hotel Sorrento by Hannie Rayson


9. A Youth Presumed by Finegan Kruckemeyer – a response to Blackrock by Nick Enright