Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
July 27, 2018

How do we heal when past traumas remain unresolved? How do we choose to respond to continuing injustice? These are the questions posed by H Lawrence Sumner’s latest play The Long Forgotten Dream, a moving, ambitious work which had its world premiere last night.

Wayne Blair and Jada Alberts. Photo © Heidrun Lohr

Deftly directed by Neil Armfield, The Long Forgotten Dream tells the knotty story of the Tucker family. Anthropology student Simone Tucker (a sensitive Jada Alberts) has returned to her father Jeremiah’s home having located the stolen remains of her great grandfather, King Tulla. Wanting to lay them to rest at their home in the Coorong, she is baffled to receive little blessing from Jeremiah. The reasons behind his reluctance are slowly revealed over the course of the play, unfurling the secret history of four generations of Tuckers.

Wayne Blair is a potent Jeremiah, a man who’s shut himself away and finds solace in the busywork of constructing model ships. In his 50s, his only line to the outside world is sister and sparring partner Lizzie, played by the brilliant Ningali Lawford-Wolf. But with his daughter’s...