Set in the 1940s, Had We But World Enough dramatises the tension that arises in a country town over a teacher's decision to cast an Aboriginal girl as the Virgin Mary in a locally-written school nativity play. The casting is approved by the playwright, a journalist for the town's paper, and also a returned soldier who fought alongside Aboriginal servicemen. During the course of the narrative others find themselves being forced into taking sides, however. This leads to consequences that impact on the characters in different ways - affecting careers, relationships, social standing or conscience.
The action of the play tales place within the lounge room of the house owned by Mrs Shiels. The house itself is situated in a 'fair-sized country town somewhere in New South Wales' ('Had We But World Enough,' p.1).
Characters
MRS. S
DAVID
PHYLLIS
NICK
NANCY
CHALMERS
MRS. W
WHALEN
LILY
The play's title is taken from the first line of 'To His Coy Mistress,' a metaphysical poem written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell (1621–1678). The voice of the poem addresses a woman who has been slow to respond to his sexual advances. In the first stanza he describes how he would love her if he were to be unencumbered by the constraints of a normal lifespan. In the second stanza, he laments how short human life is. The speaker finally he urges her requite his love, arguing that through shared passion they could both make the most of the brief time they have to live.
Gray references the poem in a scene between Phyllis and Nick.
A production photograph appears in the 18 January 1950 edition of the Tribune (p.5).
A par publicising the forthcoming Sydney premiere appears in the 21 December 1950 edition of the Tribune, accompanied by a photo of two Aboriginal men in chains and the caption: 'Forced Labour for Chained Natives' (p.7).
1950: New Theatre, Sydney; 7 January - 26 February
1950: Assembly Hall, Perth; 26-29 April
1950: New Theatre, Melbourne; 3 May -
1951: All Saints Hall, Brisbane; 22 June -
1952: CENEF Memorial Hall, Castlereagh Street, Sydney; 13 September
1953: Stow Hall, Adelaide; 23-25 July
Review of the 1953 Adelaide premiere of Oriel Gray's Had We But World Enough (Stow Hall; 23 July)
Review of the 1953 Adelaide premiere of Oriel Gray's Had We But World Enough (Stow Hall; 23 July)
'The next production at the New Theatre will be Had We But World Enough by Oriel Gray.... By use of a most original plot [the author] has exposed the basic motivations for racial hatred—fear and insecurity manipulated by greed. Such a play is always timely in Australia, where maltreatment of the aborigines is so common, that it is almost unnoticed...'
A preview of Oriel Gray's Had We But World Enough, published on the day of the play's premiere at Sydney's New Theatre.
'In America they call color prejudice Jim Crow. In Germany Hitler called it the "superiority of the Aryan race." In Australia we pretend it doesn't exist. BUT it does exist, and at times takes as filthy and poisonous forms as it ever did under Hitler or in the lynch law Southern US States. Particularly in some of our country towns. It is a typical country town in Australia that Oriel Gray has taken for the setting of her new play...'
A review of the 1950 New Theatre, Sydney, production.
'Successful New Theatre play Had We But World Enough, now showing to packed houses, is praised by Professor Elkin, Professor of Anthropology at Sydney University, in a letter to New Theatre...'
Review of the 1950 Melbourne premiere (New Theatre; 3 May).
