Tag Archives: play

Review: Fekei (Qtopia)

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Venue: Qtopia (Darlinghurst NSW), Oct 8 – 18, 2025
Playwright: Sarah Carroll
Director: Sarah Carroll
Cast: Melissa Applin, Natalie Patterson, Kikki Temple, Lawrence Ola, Naisa Lasalosi, Mele Telefon
Images by DefinitelyDefne Photography

Theatre review
Akanisi returns to her hometown in Fiji for what was meant to be a relaxing visit, but the trip quickly becomes fraught with tension when her girlfriend Sam joins her, with her family remaining unaware about Akanisi’s queerness. Fekei by Sarah Carroll explores how postcolonial societies grapple with the lingering influence of Christian doctrines that have bred prejudice and shame. Yet, it also reveals how deeply rooted cultural traditions can offer resilience and acceptance, standing firm against the harmful legacies of biblical indoctrination.

It is a sincere work by Carroll — tenderly written and often humorous in its portrayal of cultural idiosyncrasies. Their direction, however, lacks refinement; the rawness of approach occasionally renders scenes forced or unconvincing. Yet, Luna Ng’s commendable lighting design provides a counterbalance, its sensitive evocation of atmosphere helping to guide the audience through the production’s emotional shifts.

Melissa Applin brings a quiet sincerity to Akanisi, while Natalie Patterson infuses Sam with a buoyant, infectious energy. Yet the emotional core of their relationship never quite lands, and a stronger chemistry between the two would give the story greater pull. As Akanisi’s family, Kikki Temple and Naisa Lasalosi are a delight — playful, camp, and full of heart — offering both comic relief and genuine tenderness. In supporting turns, Lawrence Ola and Melehola Telefoni add texture and vibrancy, enriching the play’s portrait of everyday life in Fiji.

Queer people have every right to want acceptance, a pursuit that is both natural and deserved, though sometimes harmony is the closest we can come. The influence of religion in the Pacific runs deep; after more than two centuries of Christian indoctrination, its unravelling will take generations. During her fleeting return home, Akanisi cannot hope to rewrite her grandmother’s faith, but within their shared customs lies an older wisdom: one that values peace, patience, and the quiet endurance of love.

www.qtopiasydney.com.au

Review: King (Sydney Fringe)

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Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Sep 24 – 27, 2025
Playwright: Jo Tan
Director: Tan Shou Chen
Cast: Jo Tan
Images by Elissa Webb

Theatre review
Geok Yen is a marketing executive by day and Matt’s dutiful girlfriend by night, roles she shoulders with care but never with equal reward. She is forced to shrink, to contort, her true voice muffled. Then, in a moment of accidental inspiration, she steps into the skin of a man named Sterling—and the ground shifts beneath her.

Jo Tan’s one-woman play King initially situates itself within familiar binaries, only to destabilize them as the narrative progresses. Its insights into sexism accrue gradually, building towards a textured critique that resists simplistic dichotomies. By layering complexity onto what appears at first conventional, Tan invites her audience to reconsider the very categories through which gender is perceived and enacted.

Directed with flair by Tan Shou Chen, King shifts seamlessly between comedy and drama in charting Geok Yen’s journey. Each comic twist carries within it a shadow, each burst of humour a reminder of the weight pressing beneath. Though rooted in Singapore, the play’s reflections on societal roles and gender imbalance transcend geography. The details may vary across cultures, but the paradigm it reveals is both universal and pertinent.

Jo Tan delivers a tour de force, slipping effortlessly between Geok Yen, Sterling, and a gallery of side characters, all conjured with wit, imagination, and playful precision. The craftsmanship of her performance is impeccable, but it is her irresistible charisma and the clarity with which she unfolds both story and moral, that captivates, delights, and provokes in equal measure. Also noteworthy are video projections by designer Brian Gothong Tan, which heighten the theatricality of the production and accentuate the fantastical dimensions of Geok Yen’s narrative, all while dazzling with their sheer visual spectacle.

King begins with a starkly binary view of life, but by inhabiting both extremes, Geok Yen moves toward a more nuanced understanding of her place in the world. From black and white emerges a spectrum of grey, within which she discovers the courage to begin embracing her authenticity. The terrors that once haunted her prove to be illusions, and the forces that seemed all-powerful are revealed as far less formidable than they first appeared.

www.sydneyfringe.com

Review: Port (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Sep 24 – Oct 4, 2025
Playwright: Simon Stephens
Director: Nigel Turner-Carroll
Cast: Kyle Barrett, James Collins, Rachel Crossan, Owen Hasluck, Benjamin Louttit, Finn Middleton, Megan O’Connell, Grace Stamnas
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Racheal has spent much of her life in Stockport, a largely working-class town in the north-west of England. The hardships she endures are considerable, yet we perceive them as ordinary, knowing that life is never a bed of roses, especially for those on society’s lower rungs. In his 2002 play Port, Simon Stephens shows a keen ear for the rhythms of everyday conversation, but the tale he tells is ultimately one of mediocrity, a portrait of existence so ordinary that it struggles to sustain our deeper interest.

Fortunately, director Nigel Turner-Carroll brings considerable intensity to the drama, encouraging us to invest in the possibility of uncovering greater depths within the narrative. That hope, however, proves unfounded, as we gradually realise there is little of real substance in Racheal’s story.

The production at least looks assured: Soham Apte’s simple set and Benedict Janeczko-Taylor’s plain costumes provide clear visual cues to anchor us in time and place, while Travis Kecek’s lighting is finely judged, calibrating shades of sentimentality to reflect shifting emotional states. Cameron Smith’s sound design, too, deserves praise for its thorough evocation of the environments through which Racheal moves across the years.

Grace Stamnas takes on the role of Racheal with striking focus and confidence, lending the production a self-assurance that propels its brisk momentum. The ensemble is uniformly strong, each character rendered with a distinct and convincing presence. Together, the cast infuse the stage with colour and vitality, ensuring that the performance feels both engaging and worthwhile.

Like many of us, Rachael likely believes her hardships to be uniquely cruel, when in truth they are symptoms of broader social design. We imagine our fates as personal, yet so much of what we endure stems from the structures that govern collective life. The play never makes explicit the injustices Rachael faces as a working-class woman, nor how the wealthy preserve their dominance by hoarding resources. Their prosperity endures across generations—while the rest are kept busy mistaking survival for a life.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.instagram.com/decembertheatreco

Review: True West (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Sep 8 – Oct 11, 2025
Playwright: Sam Shepard
Director: Ian Sinclair
Cast: Vanessa Downing, Darcy Kent, James Lugton, Simon Maiden
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review
Austin is holed up in his mother’s California home, polishing his screenplay, when his brother Lee bursts in and blows everything apart. Austin is neat, proper, civilized; Lee is chaos incarnate. In True West, Sam Shepard turns their clash into a battle of identities, a showdown between two Americas under one roof. Many pre-Reagan plays have lost their bite, but this one hits harder than ever—its vision of fractured cultures feels ripped straight from today’s headlines.

Simone Romaniuk’s production design sharpens the play’s intensity: the set feels close and feverish, and the costumes declare conflict from the outset. Brockman’s lighting washes the story with unexpected flamboyance, sculpting emotion into lyrical images of sheer visual poetry. By contrast, Daryl Wallis’ sound design is more restrained, yet its sparseness proves effective in aligning with the play’s measured textual rhythm.

Expertly directed by Ian Sinclair, the staging pursues every dramatic and revelatory possibility in Shepard’s text. What emerges is provocative and cerebral, yet at the same time raw and palpable—an utterly absorbing experience achieved without reliance on superfluous bells and whistles. The play holds us fast with a tale that is at once grounded in reality and tinged with the extraordinary, keeping our fascination with its central relationship alive, while persistently stirring uneasy thoughts about the world we now inhabit.

As Lee, Simon Maiden is a study in intricacy and truth, his every gesture alive with resonant authenticity. Opposite him, Darcy Kent drives Austin into surprising surges of theatricality, pushing the drama to exhilarating heights. Each is formidable in his own right, yet it is their electrifying chemistry together that anchors the production’s success. Around them, James Lugton and Vanessa Downing embrace their smaller roles with admirable flair, their comic touches both outlandish and irresistible, adding yet another layer of delight.

Beneath the polished surface of Western progress and civility lies a startling fragility. In True West, the brothers slip effortlessly into barbarity, exposing the raw, untamed instincts lurking beneath social masks. Both cling to a mythic past, yearning to make America great again, as if modernity has failed them, even though much of contemporary advancement has unequivocally strengthened democracy and improved life collectively. True West reminds us that, no matter how far society reaches toward progress, those who wield the greatest power—and shape the course of our evolution—often remain savages at heart.

(Note: due to a medical emergency on opening night, the part of Lee was played by director Ian Sinclair for the final scene.)

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: Life Is A Dream (25A Belvoir)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Sep 2 – 21, 2025
Playwright: Claudia Osborne (after Pedro Calderón de la Barca)
Directors: Claudia Osborne, Solomon Thomas
Cast: Thomas Campbell, Mark Lee, Shiv Palekar, Essie Randles, Shikara Ringdahl, Ariadne Sgouros, Ariyan Sharma
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
For his entire life, 22-year-old Segismundo has been confined to a room, conditioned by Astolfo’s daily refrain that he is “dangerous and destructive, but not in this room.” Claudia Osborne’s Life is a Dream, inspired by Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s 1636 masterpiece, reimagines this tale of captivity and destiny for a contemporary audience. The production balances quirky charm and moments of playful wonder with a grounded exploration of the human condition. Osborne’s version points to the enduring dictum that our choices carry consequences, and that, ultimately, we reap what we sow.

Under the direction of Osborne and Solomon Thomas, Life is a Dream achieves a rare balance. Its offbeat humour keeps the work buoyant and unpredictable, while its underlying seriousness lends the production weight and resonance. The staging stands out for its distinctive style and inventive sensibility, which not only sustain engagement but also encourage the audience to grapple with its themes while remaining open to curiosity.

Ariyan Sharma shines as Segismundo, capturing a sheltered innocence that feels wholly authentic while subtly conveying the hidden truths his character has yet to grasp. He is a thoroughly endearing presence, remarkable for an artistry that combines keen intellect with expressive physicality. Thomas Campbell’s Astolfo brings tension and intrigue, his clever rendering of ambiguity opening up a world of imagined backstories that lead to this extraordinary moment. The rest of the cast add layers of psychological complexity and emotional richness, and together their chemistry transforms Life is a Dream into a fully immersive and enthralling theatrical experience.

Set and costume design by Cris Baldwin evokes a contemporary space, grounded in a sense of normalcy that keeps the audience connected to the action. Kelsey Lee’s lighting and Madeleine Picard’s sound design weave the atmosphere with quiet finesse, lending the production an elegant rhythm that draws us deeper into the story and the emotional lives of its characters.

This updated Life is a Dream resonates as a warning: when we withhold kindness from those over whom we hold power, it is our own cruelty that breeds further cruelty. Amidst all the political turmoil of 2025, we are compelled to approach this centuries-old tale not with innocence, but with clear eyes, aware of the dangers we continue to create, and the responsibility we bear to break these tragic cycles.

www.belvoir.com.au | www.fervour.net.au | www.regroupperformancecollective.org

Review: The Bridge (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Aug 29 – Sep 13, 2025
Playwrights: Sunny Grace, Clare Hennessy, Richie Black
Director: Lucinda Gleeson
Cast: Zoe Carides, Clare Hennessy, Saro Lepejian, Andrea Magpulong, Brendan Miles. Matt Abotomey
Images by Ravyna Jassani

Theatre review
Amber was a fleeting rock sensation of the early ’90s, her career abruptly derailed by the ruthless grip of patriarchy. Decades later, when Alyssa goes viral on TikTok with a cover of one of Amber’s long-forgotten songs, the forgotten musician emerges—not to celebrate the revival, but to chastise the influencer, mirroring the very silencing forces that once destroyed her own career.

With The Bridge, writers Sunny Grace, Clare Hennessy and Richie Black set out with admirable intentions, crafting a work that seeks to highlight how women can unite across generations to resist the enduring forces of subjugation. The play’s ambition is clear, but its execution falters: the structure is clumsy, the nuance underdeveloped, and the characters too often collapse into flat archetypes rather than fully realised figures.

Lucinda Gleeson’s direction may lack elegance, but it is driven by a palpable passion that translates to the stage. The original music by Zoe Carides and Clare Hennessy stands out as a highlight, with the added delight of live performance from several cast members. Sound design by Rowan Yeomans and Elke reaches ambitiously, though it occasionally draws focus away from the action. Aron Murray’s lighting brings welcome dynamism, even if it is not always flattering to the performers, while Kate Beere’s costumes suffer from the same problem, her set design captures the intended mood.

As Amber, Zoe Carides delivers energy and focus, though the performance never fully convinces as that of a late-20th-century rebel hellraiser. Clare Hennessy is more persuasive as Alyssa, the ambitious newcomer, yet her portrayal of a contemporary media personality leans a touch too heavily on flippancy. The chemistry between the two requires greater development, and the progression of their relationship would benefit from being drawn with more care and less abruptness.

While it is unrealistic to expect women to always share affinity with one another, the pursuit of radical inclusivity and acceptance remains essential in resisting patriarchal and colonial systems. Such structures are sustained by division, repeatedly manufacturing wedges that isolate individuals and diminish their collective agency. Feminism, therefore, must be understood as a project of expansion—drawing in as many voices as possible in order to constitute a force capable of meaningful opposition.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.instagram.com/crisscross_productions

Review: How To Plot A Hit In Two Days (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Aug 29 – Oct 11, 2025
Playwright: Melanie Tait
Director: Lee Lewis
Cast: Amy Ingram, Genevieve Lemon, Seán O’Shea, Georgie Parker, Julia Robertson
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
It is 1985, and a key cast member is departing the high-rating Australian soap opera A Country Practice. The writers are tasked with making sense of her exit, not only for themselves as creatives deeply entwined with the show, but also for a public profoundly invested in its characters. How to Plot a Hit in Two Days by Melanie Tait is a charming reimagining of the delicate machinery behind one of the era’s most unforgettable television moments. The play beautifully captures the intricacies of artistic collaboration, resonating with anyone curious about the creative process. Yet its heavy reliance on a very particular vein of cultural nostalgia risks alienating contemporary audiences less familiar with that history.

Direction by Lee Lewis yields a staging memorable for the impeccable chemistry of its ensemble. With five richly detailed and impassioned performers—Amy Ingram, Genevieve Lemon, Seán O’Shea, Georgie Parker, and Julia Robertson—the production seizes our attention from the outset and holds us firmly in its grasp throughout. Ingram’s portrayal of ex-jailbird Sharon is particularly winning, her brusque humour shaping much of the production’s tone.

The design is stripped to its essentials, fitting for a work that demands little ornamentation. Simone Romaniuk’s set and costumes reflect the utilitarian realities of artistic work, while Brockman’s lighting and Paul Charlier’s music recede gracefully into the background, surfacing only now and then to deliver moments of flourish.

Only in recent years have we begun to reckon with the fact that we call Australia is not, and never was, a monolith. The twentieth century was steeped in assimilationist ideology, shaped by values imposed by a white patriarchy that governed not only our daily lives but also our very understanding of reality. In 1985, it seemed entirely reasonable to assume that the whole nation might gather around the same television program. Today, we can scarcely agree on the story of how modern life on these lands was forged.

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: The Talented Mr. Ripley (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney NSW), Aug 19 – Sep 28, 2025
Playwright: Joanna Murray-Smith (based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith)
Director: Sarah Goodes
Cast: Faisal Hamza, Raj Labade, Will McDonald, Andrew McFarlane, Johnny Nasser, Claude Scott-Mitchell 
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review
There are many possible reasons for Patricia Highsmith’s famous protagonist making the appalling decisions he does. Without overt explanations of Tom Ripley’s psychological constitution, we are left to observe his actions and to speculate on his motivations, often through notions of humanity that we can only presume to be universal. Joanna Murray-Smith’s adaptation comes 60 years after the novel’s publication, and although The Talented Mr. Ripley is thankfully rendered identifiably queer in this new stage version, we remain seduced by its enigmatic characters and their fundamentally dangerous story.

It is almost always a challenge to condense a work from book to play, but Murray-Smith does wonderfully to retain not only the essence, but also the delicious details of Highsmith’s original narrative. Direction by Sarah Goodes however feels rushed at several key moments, likely a consequence of wishing to keep running time within the conventional two hours. The show prevents itself from sprawling and luxuriating, in something that cannot disguise its tendencies toward indulgence.

Visual aspects too fall short of the extravagance and decadence one might anticipate from a narrative steeped in class and envy, but the crucial scene of Ripley’s first murder, is certainly some of the most beautiful theatre to appear in recent memory. Set design by Elizabeth Gadsby is modern and sparse. Emma White’s costumes subtly represent the distinctions of social stratum. Damien Cooper’s lighting brings dynamism, though it can appear somewhat unnecessarily restrained. Music and sound by Steve Francis is an unequivocal highlight, delivering huge doses of unabashed drama, to match Ripley’s intensifying delusions of grandeur.

Leading man Will McDonald is both compelling and convincing as the disturbed charlatan, brilliantly conveying the unspoken dimensions of Ripley’s inner world, which form the very heart of the production. Object of desire Dickie Greenleaf is performed with charismatic verve by a highly memorable Raj Labade, who strikes a delicate balance between likeable cad and despicable scoundrel. Also noteworthy is Faisal Hamza as Freddie Miles, wonderfully mischievous in his portrayals of nauseating privilege and wanton youth.

There is little reason to admire Ripley, yet despite his heinous crimes, we never for a moment want him to be caught. Every subsequent kill, though met with our derision, remains an irresistible pleasure in the purely artistic sense. That we can find ways to enjoy learning about Ripley’s atrocities, only means that there are parts of our psyche that can somehow appreciate his debauched descent. Though we strive to uphold honour in our personal choices, the sheer talent of those who commit barbarities proves always to exert a relentless, undeniable fascination.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Foam (Qtopia)

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Venue: Qtopia (Darlinghurst NSW), Aug 6 – 23, 2025
Playwright: Harry McDonald
Director: Gavin Roach
Cast: Joshua Merten, Patrick Phillips, Timothy Springs, Chad Traupmann
Images by Robert Catto

Theatre review
Nicky Crane was British, gay and a neo-Nazi. The play Foam by Harry McDonald chronicles Crane’s life from 1974 at the age of 15, until his AIDS-related death in 1993. While people like Crane may seem best left to oblivion, there is merit in remembering atrocities, if only to guard against their repetition. While McDonald’s writing presents itself as a candid account of the man’s life, it occasionally lapses into sympathy, rendering the show an uneasy experience.

Direction by Gavin Roach embraces an unadorned aesthetic that suits the material, but an absence of a clear political stance and sufficient dramatic tension, leaves the production feeling somewhat inert. Actor Patrick Phillips is noteworthy for the commitment he brings to the lead role. While he struggles to convey the menacing quality essential to the story, his unwavering focus throughout the production’s entire duration remains impressive. 

It is true that we stand upon the shoulders of giants, but it is also true that there are parts of our collective histories that are shameful and deplorable. As a community that has endured immeasurable injustice and persecution, it might seem natural that we would know better than anyone how to reject hatred and oppression. Yet the truth remains, that some will carry that cruelty within, letting it shape the course of their lives.

www.qtopiasydney.com.au

Review: Werkaholics (25A Belvoir)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jul 29 – Aug 17, 2025
Playwright: Vivian Nguyen
Director: Nicole Pingon
Cast: Ruby Duncan, Georgia Oom, Shirong Wu
Images by Lucy Parakhina

Theatre review
As an influencer, Lilian is bombarded with conflicting signals about her worth. Each piece of digital content that earns her praise also draws criticism for perceived narcissism. In contrast, Jillian, a struggling actor, endures relentless rejection and financial hardship, yet is considered to be leading a life of apparent integrity. Capitalism is the problem, in Vivian Nguyen’s Werkaholics, a play about two Asian-Australian women who can do nothing right. We watch Lilian and Jillian try to attain success, by following various prescribed methods, only to find the rulebook turning against them.

Werkaholics is a clever and exuberant piece of writing that although tends too often to turn convoluted, offers a thoughtful meditation on modern economics in an era defined by digitised social life and the unprecedented commodification of the personal. Direction by Nicole Pingon is memorable for a charming and irreverent playfulness, that allows us to regard the feminist message in a commensurately subversive, and distinctly queer, manner. The show is one that practises what it preaches.

Set and costumes by Ruby Jenkins are rendered with a simplicity that foregrounds the female bodies that tell a story about worth and exploitation. Video projections by Harrison Hall and Daniel Herten offer seamless enticements into realms of artifice, while lights by Frankie Clarke convey emotional complexity. Music and sound by Christine Pan imbue a charged atmosphere, heightening tension in both its comedic and dramatic turns.

Georgia Oom as Lilian and Shirong Wu as Jillian form a compelling duo, drawing us into a sharp interrogation of social structures marked by deep-rooted injustices along lines of gender and race. Each performer radiates infectious energy, leaving a lasting impression with the bold effervescence they bring to the stage. Ruby Duncan is effective as Sage, a duplicitous character who personifies the sinister hypocrisy of those intent on preserving entrenched institutions that profit from marginalisation and exclusion.

Many of us participate in systems that ultimately work against our own interests, simply because they often represent the only means we know to survive. Indeed, their stratagem involves projecting a sense of inevitability, as it conceals the subterfuge of deplorable injustices. Some believe that we can alter its machinations while operating within it. Others argue that history shows how little meaningful change is effected without radical tactics. In any case, we need to be unafraid of disruption and continue finding new ways to create change, believing that every impact, big or small, will contribute to a consequential resistance that moves us toward something better.

www.belvoir.com.au | www.purpletapeproductions.com