Cirrus@Austlit

''Calpurnia Descending' sends up the dangers of fame with the tale of Beverly Dumont – a reclusive, drunken, Depression-era Broadway washout. Beverly limps towards obscurity until a naive ingénue appears offering a final shot at glory. It’s the role of a lifetime, but the chalice soon proves poisoned and both women are drawn into a world of paranoia, sleaze and bloody, unrelenting ambition.

'The latest work from queer ‘DIY’ theatre duo Sisters Grimm ('The Sovereign Wife', 'Little Mercy') stars the inimitable Paul Capsis ('Angela’s Kitchen') and Ash Flanders. Rich in wit and piercing cultural critique, this fabulously entertaining work takes two of Australia’s finest male actresses and ignites a backstage Battle Royale.' (Source: Malthouse website)

'Moira and Connor O'Flaherty leave county Mayo for a better life in the Australian goldfields. But all they find in the harsh soil of Hiscock's Gully is poverty and heartbreak. As the Eureka Flag is raised, Moira makes a terrible pact in order to save her family. The effects of this one night will be felt for generations.

'Spanning one hundred and fifty years of toil, hardship, and devastating etcetera, The Sovereign Wife is one woman's epic journey across our sunburnt country – from country Victoria all the way to the Simpson Desert.

'Taking inspiration from The Man From Snowy River, Baz Luhrmann's Australia, and the spellbinding artwork of Ken Done, The Sovereign Wife is a wild bush-doof through our national identity.'

Source: Creators' website.

'"The South will fall, and so will her pride... ...In the greatest love story ever told." Georgia. 1861. A faded Southern belle returns to the family plantation after ten years away from home. But where has she been? Why did she run? And what secrets are buried in the ol' greenhouse? A sweeping romance, set against the backdrop of the American Civil War.'

Source: www.sistersgrimm.com.au/ (Sighted 20/02/2012).