THE FLOATING WORLD

About the show

Les and Irene are celebrating their wedding anniversary. Gifted with the holiday of a lifetime, they set sail on the Women’s Weekly Cherry Blossom Cruise bound for the cultural mysteries of Japan. But amongst the sun hats, theme nights and piña coladas Les, a former WWII prisoner of war, soon finds himself confronted by old diggers, enemies and tormented memories. As the cruise ship floats closer towards its destination, Les’ grip on reality floats ever further away. An electrifying descent into one man’s wartime nightmare, The Floating World is a resonating tale of the long-lasting effects of war and the ugly world of xenophobic Australia. Following the success of his sold-out productions of Speaking in Tongues and The Boys, Sam Strong returns to the Griffin fold to direct this neglected Australian classic, last staged at the Stables in 1975 and heralded as an ‘unruly masterpiece’.