Musical Chairs: Perspective and 'Heavy' Humour in Ben Elton's 'Three Summers'

Depicting the festival-going capers of several colourful characters over the course of three years, Ben Elton's Three Summers uses levity and lighthearted tropes to subtly interrogate the inequality – however insidious – that is rampant in contemporary Australia. Elizabeth Flux speaks to the writer/director about the balance of comedy and commentary, and the sense of community, in his sophomore feature.

Additional keywords:
folk music, festival, John Waters, Magda Szubanski, Michael Caton, Kelton Pell, Deborah Mailman, racism, race, politics.