Rejected by the 1962 Adeladie Festival Board of Governors as ‘unappetising fare’ - The Ham Funeral is now considered a modern classic.
Set in a squalid British boarding house, the play tells the story of a young poet, who lodges with Mr and Mrs Lusty, a bloated, gluttonous pair. When her husband dies abruptly, Mrs Lusty announces a grand funeral featuring a lavish feast, in his honour. Driven by her incontinent appetite, she attempts to seduce the young poet, with comically tragic consequences.