Man in a Blue Vase

Set in a Polish-Jewish household in Melbourne. Aaron tries to prove his individuality by taking money from his wife Shirley's blue vase. Sister in law Esther tells Shirley that marriage is a state of war and she needs to take a stand. Aaron goes drinking and asks his brother in law Herman why he lets Esther bully him. Shirley gets advice from her mother in law, Reba.{{cite news|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|title=Benyon's New Play|date=29 February 1960|page=19}}

• Alan Hopgood as Aaron
• Coralie Neville as Shirley
• Sue Saffir as Esther
• John Bluthal as Herman
• Rachel Holzer as Reba
• Edward Howell as Uncle Ben
• Don Crosby as a barman
• Joe Hudson as Taxi Driver

The script was written by Richard Benyon (1925–99), author of the play The Shifting Heart.[http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A30358 Richard Benyon] at Austlit

The TV critic from the Sydney Morning Herald said the play was "refreshing for its observation that there don't have to be lurid triangles or melodramatic boozing or homesacrificing career obsessions to put marriages on the rocks" but still lacks something of the warmth by which a Chayefsky allows his commonplace characters to arouse deeply compassionate interest in their everyday conflict, collaboration and compromise. Beynon's people... are carefully observed and their talk runs pretty naturally, but some want of rich detail in the writing and among... [the]players prevented them from making a compelling appeal."{{cite news|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|title=Man In A Blue Vase On ATN|date=7 March 1960|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122833642/?terms=%22man%2Bin%2Ba%2Bblue%2Bvase%22}}

The Age wrote that "the story wasn't 'big' enough to carry an hour of television. Otherwise the drama is quite good. The cast performed well."{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19600324&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Bright Spot in "Vase" Drama|date=24 March 1960|page=14}}

The play was adapted for radio in 1960.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131737019 |title=2CA On The Air! 2CA |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=38 |issue=10,635 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=7 September 1963 |accessdate=3 March 2017 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}

There was another adaptation in 1963. The cast: Nigel Lambert (Aaron), Mark Kelly (Herman), Miriam Karlin (Reba), Patricia Gallimore (Shirley), Amber Cecil (Esther), John Cazabon (Uncle Ben), Brian Harrison (Barman), and Brian Harrison (Taxi driver).{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131737019 |title=2CA On The Air! 2CA |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=38 |issue=10,635 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=7 September 1963 |accessdate=19 February 2019 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}

• List of television plays broadcast on ATN-7

{{Reflist}}

• {{AustLit|8131008|q=yes}}
• {{AusStage|id=event/98692|q=yes}}
• {{IMDb episode|3602108}}

{{Rod Kinnear}}

Category:1960 television plays

Category:1960 Australian television episodes

Category:1960s Australian television plays

Category:Shell Presents

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