by David Williamson
seen at Chester Street Theatre on 4 August 2018
Theatre on Chester, an amateur group in the Sydney suburb of Epping, has revived Williamson's 2005 play under the capable direction of Sher Kearney. Influence concerns a 'shock jock' who peddles bigotry and prejudice on the radio, but whose personal life threatens to disrupt his bullying public persona. Ziggi Blasko lives in luxury in a waterfront apartment with his second wife Carmela and their new-born daughter, but his fractious marriage is put under further strain when both his father Marko and his teenage daughter Vivienne come to stay. His sister Connie, a psychotherapist, has no time for his toxic views, while his factotum Tony puts up with the domestic tyrannies, and a new housekeeper Zehra is underpaid, overworked, and generally treated like dirt.
