Florian Zeller’s play The Father (Le Père, 2012) comes to us after acclaimed productions in Paris, London, and New York, where the playwright was hailed as an exciting young talent, and one of France’s finest writers. He wrote the play for the French actor Robert Hirsch, who was eighty-eight when he first performed it a few years ago. Australian audiences now have a chance to see the play for themselves, with our own veteran actor John Bell in the title role and an engaging production from the STC (in collaboration with the MTC).

The set is a beautiful old apartment in Paris with wood-panelling, frosted-glass folding doors, bookshelves in the hallway, and sturdy furniture. No Scandinavian modernism here. The elderly André and his daughter, Anne, are in conflict over a familiar situation for anyone with ageing relatives – the question of independence and the need for a carer. He is articulate and witty, if unreasonable about his missing watch and the likelihood of theft. His daughter is concerned and exasperated, though she seems the controlling type and could be overdoing it. Maybe, he is just forgetful and her anxiety has more to do with her guilt about her plans to move to London. The stage goes dark, then suddenly we are not so certain, as new characters arrive: which woman is Anne? Is it Pierre or Antoine? Is it the same flat? What day, what time is it?