Juggler's Three is an Australian play by David Williamson. It was based on the breakup of his first marriage, when he left his pregnant wife for a woman who left her husband.Gemma England, "Biography: David Williamson: Behind the Scenes by Kristin Williamson", MC Reviews 29 June 2009 accessed 26 Oct 2012
Background The play was commissioned by John Sumner of the Melbourne Theatre Company in mid 1971. Williamson submitted a storyline called Return from Vietname about a conscript, Graham, who discovers his wife, Karen, has left him for an economist, Neville. The play was originally titled Third World Blues but the MTC requested this be changed to Juggler's Three. The play underwent many revisions, and at one stage included sequences set in Vietnam.Kiernan p 74-78
The original production by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Russell Street Theatre opened 17 July 1972, designed by Kim Carpenter and directed by Malcolm Robertson.
The first production was very well reviewed and later transferred from Russell Street to Harry M. Miller's Melbourne Playbox Theatre, which was rare for Australian plays at the timeKiernan p 108
Williamson later called the play "a hysterical and unresearched piece of melodramatical nonsense."
Characters On-stage: Graham, mid 20s, a poet, writer, and Vietnam veteran, wrote a paper railing against T.S. Eliot, Joseph Conrad, and D.H. Lawrence and a 17-poem cycle on cannibalism ... Sean Scully Neville Anderson, mid-30s, an economist ... Edwin Hodgeman Elizabeth Anderson, late 20s, Neville's pregnant wife ... Sandy Gore Dennis, early 20s, another Vietnam veteran, covered in boils, friend of Graham, robbed a gas xstation ... Gary Day Jamie Robertson, 30, a doctor ... Peter Adams Keren, mid-20s, Graham's wife and Neville's lover ... Kirsty Child Policeman, 40s, likes to make a Civil Liberties sandwich,"plac[ing] young pricks between two mattresses mattreses and beat[ing] the Christ outa them," ... Lloyd Cunnington
Mentioned: English professor, contemptuous of Graham Tke Colonel, an American that Graham claims that he shot Joe the Mechanic, Neville thinks he's scamming Elizabeth Damien Andersin, the Andersons' son, in kindergartenn, has a stomach wog Brendan and Lauris, friends of Elizabeth that Neville doesn't like, calls them a prick and a bitch Maureen, friend of Elizabeth, thought Neville went from sensitive to egocentric Dennis's wife Cheryl, Dennis's infant daughter Gas station attendant, assaulted by Dennis Mel, friend of Elizabeth, having an affair Anne, Mels's wife, unaware of the affair Kovacs, friends of Graham and Karen; Graham was upset about not being invited to their wedding then got embarrasssed when he finally was.
Third World Blues Williamson later reworked the play again in 1996 as Third World Blues."Background to Third World Blues", Performing Arts Collection accessed 26 Oct 2012 This was done at the behest of Wayne Harrison, the director, who was an admirer of the original play. There had been a well publicised conflict between Harrison and Williamson over the staging of Heretic but they reunited for this play.
Williamson rewrote the play after researching by talking to Vietnam veterans and counsellors saying "I slowly started to realise just how traumatic war and combat is for most participants." He also made key structural changes saying "the original was virtually in farce form - there was something like 39 entrances and exits. It's down to 19 now, which structurally makes it half as farcical as before." References
David Williamson. The Coming of Stork -- Jugglers Three -- What If You Died Tomorrow: Three Plays. Sydney: The Currency Press, Currency Methuen Drama Pty Ltd, London: Eyre Methuen, 1974. 0869370219 (paperbound), 0869370200 (clothbound)
Notes Brian Kiernan, David Williamson: A Writer's Career, Currency Press, 1996