Written by Dario Fo
Translated by Joseph Farrell
Directed by Cate Clelland
Canberra Rep Production
Canberra Rep Theatre, Acton to 6 December
Reviewed by Len Power 21 November 2025
It’s a night of total lunacy as the cast of “Low Pay? Don’t
Pay!” tackle Dario Fo’s 1974 Italian farcical comedy about a consumer backlash
to ever-increasing prices. While it’s all madness on the surface, Fo was
unrelenting and unapologetic in his criticism of political and social issues. His
style might be crazy, noisy and non-realistic, but the influences of commedia
dell’arte, farce and medieval traveling theatre are clearly apparent in his work.
Fo’s work was ferociously attacked at the time, but he was eventually the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Literature. His plays have been translated into many languages and performed internationally. The title of the original English translation of his play in 1975 by Lino Pertile, “Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!” has passed into the English language.
Fo encouraged producers and directors of his plays to change the setting to suit their circumstances, so, although the original setting for the play was Milan, Italy, the director of this production, Cate Clelland, has set it in Canberra, which works fine.
From the opening noisy demonstration in front of a supermarket, the action is broadly played by two couples, Joe and Toni, Maggie and Lou and an eight-member ensemble. There is also The Actor, a rather mysterious character.
The whole cast are clearly having fun playing the high-speed, farcical elements of the plot. If it seems a bit uneven at times, it really doesn’t matter. It’s the ideas and messages being presented that matter most in this play. Antonia Kitzel, though, gave a clever performance as the various characters of The Actor.
This production provides an opportunity to experience the work of one of the most influential playwrights of his time. It’s knockabout fun with strong messages underneath. I wonder what Fo would be saying about grocery prices now?
Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.