Stirling Players gathers a strong cast for the revival of a David Williamson play that, sadly, is more relevant 20 years later.
Director Vicky Horwood has an eye for talent, assembling an impressive cast who work cohesively and understand the material well. This classic Williamson play, set in 2005, has trademark humour and boldly-drawn characters. The staging and direction ensure that it gallops along with terrific energy and a pace to keep us interested as we are propelled towards a very satisfying ending.
Influence contains a fire hose of ideas and controversial issues and it’s up to the audience to try and latch on to the most meaningful for them and store them for later discussion and analysis. This is a big ask as there are many topics – maybe too many to process during the play: racism (anti-Muslim and anti-Semitism in particular), the working poor, bludgers, whingers, welfare cheats, wokeness, mocking of mental health issues and the psychology profession, Eastern European and Middle East tensions, the value of the arts in society and the dangerous power of shock jocks to influence public sentiment and policy. Phew!
Influence by David Williamson
Presented by The Stirling Players
Directed by Vicky Horwood
September 11-26, 2026
Stirling Community Theatre, 7 Avenue Rd, Stirling
David Williamson drew on radio figures like John Laws and Alan Jones to create the protagonist, Ziggi Blasco, a Sydney radio shockjock, a bombastic hypocritical bigot who may have sold his soul for a six-figure salary. I say “may have” as it’s hard to imagine him with a soul in the first place.
Brendan Clare plays Ziggi with great conviction. King of the airwaves by day and coming home to a disintegrating dysfunctional family at night; home is where he has no influence. He is a very unlikeable character who sees all the family and employee problems through his own self-obsessed, narcissistic lens. Even as an obvious villain, Clare gave his character nuance when dealing with all the people at home who rely on him for their lifestyle and we could feel his frustration and unhappiness. His portrayal seemed less at ease in the studio with his radio technique and interaction with callers.
Ziggi’s second wife Carmela (Carla Hardie), is trying to resurrect her ballet career and is the embodiment of self obsession and entitlement. She makes the most of being vile and vain without slipping into caricature and even successfully allows us a tiny insight into her better nature as she tries to show interest in her housekeeper’s children for just an instant.
Andrew Horwood as Ziggi’s immigrant father with a dark past was a joy to watch. After decades on Adelaide stages in a huge variety of roles, he gave us a performance of great depth and intensity. He was quiet and deliberate in his delivery and played it above all the other superficial characters and action around him. The audience hung on his every word.
Joanne St. Clair plays Ziggi’s psychotherapist appeaser sister with great confidence and insight. Her timing was excellent as she delivered many humorous lines and sharp observations of those around her.
John Koch as Tony the chauffeur and maintenance man offers a calming and genial presence and support to those in the firing line of his boss and his wife.
Zehra, the housekeeper played by Turea Blyth, could have been bland but she played her with such hidden strength and decency. She gave us some truly heartbreaking moments and showed us the human face and consequences of Ziggi’s simplistic, bigoted statements.
A surprise of the night was Zoe Battersby who played Vivienne, Ziggi’s daughter from a previous marriage. She is a natural talent and we look forward to seeing her in many different roles to come.
Lighting by Richard Parkhill enhanced the set and brought warmth to the night scenes as a welcome contrast to the starkness and action of the day scenes.
Gilian’s Cordell’s costumes were era appropriate and added interest.
The set was mainly sleek black and white and chrome as one would expect in a Sydney penthouse and worked well for every scene. The walnut brown 1950s radiogram was slightly incongruous, being more Agatha Christie than David Williamson. Ziggi and Carmela didn’t strike me as sentimental types to want their grandparent’s furniture in their cool apartment.
Influence is fast-paced, full of witty dialogue, performed by a terrific cast and a glimpse into the mind of David Williamson. Ziggi and his power to influence society by playing on the fears and prejudices of a population without taking responsibility is just as relevant today and will give you much to think about it and many weeks’ worth of talking points.
– Vicki Arnold
