A smitten young Australian travels to Europe in pursuit of an actress. The encounter of the old world with the new triggers a continental clash of cultures and emotional revelations. Where is the meeting point of one culture with another? Will their cultural competitiveness allow them to meet at all? This witty and astutely observed two-hander accomplishes a dramatic metaphor for history, the theatre and the possibility of hope.

The cast includes Richard Grieve, best known to British audiences for his roles as Sam Kratz in Neighbours and Dr. Lachlan Frazer in Home and Away, whose many theatre credits includes roles with the acclaimed Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company; and Australian actress Alex McTavish making her London debut.

Multi-award-winning playwright Michael Gow is one of Australia’s most successful dramatists. His other works include the highly successful Away, Sweet Phoebe (both winners of the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award) and Furious (Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Award). He also won the Australian Film Institute award for best mini-series for Eden’s Lost. He is currently the Artistic Director of the acclaimed Queensland Theatre Company.

Europe was first performed in Sydney in 1987, and was also twice broadcast on ABC Radio Australia. It was performed in the UK on national tour in 1989, and now receives its London premiere.

The Press on Europe
"There's a risk, when presenting a play about an Aussie in Europe to Aussies in Europe, that you’ll be seen as sticking to the stereotypes rather than exploring the real issues. . . .Michael Gow’s short but not so sweet play about a love-struck young Australian who follows an actress to Europe, manages to strike a good balance between the two. Australian Alex McTavish does well in her London debut as the actress of ambiguous European nationality, while Richard Grieve shows he is better than his Australian soap pedigree would suggest."
TNT

"Another small pleasure at the Finborough was to revisit Michael Gow’s Europe, given as a curtain raiser to Eyes Catch Fire. I remember being much taken with this short, very touching play when I first saw it years ago in its native Australia. It has worn well, even if the Europe it longingly describes is no longer so politically divided, and it’s surprising that London has had to wait so long to see it. Aussies Richard Grieve and Alex McTavish made the most of its showcase opportunities, with Ms McTavish particularly fetching, essentially European in the role of the capricious actress who breaks a backpackers heart, only to find that her own is far from shatterproof." Ian Herbert, Theatre Record