Posh: Presented At The Old Fitz

Posh

Posh Rating

Click if you liked this article

4

“Boys will be boys”—a phrase as old as time, and in Posh, it becomes both a celebration and a condemnation. From the moment you step into the theatre, you’re transported into the opulent, eerie calm of a private dining room in a British house. A long table is laid out for ten, gleaming with anticipation. But this isn’t any dinner party—it’s a resurrection of legacy, a night with The Riot Club.

The play, penned with sharpness and nuance, builds its tension masterfully. We wait with bated breath for the dinner to begin, as the lore of past debauchery—smashed chandeliers, demolished rooms—echoes through stories of old. This elite society of British best and brightest has long thrived on mayhem masked as tradition. But in the present, their antics have come under fire, forcing them to tread carefully. This dinner is meant to be their ‘resurrection’.

The cast is nothing short of magnetic. Each actor carves a distinct identity, from the naive newcomer brimming with excitement to finally earn his seat at the table, to the lewd over sexualised brute who arranges a prostitute as entertainment. The chemistry is palpable; the banter quick and witty. You find yourself drawn in, laughing, charmed by the absurdity, even wishing for a moment you were part of the mayhem. There’s an undeniable allure to their camaraderie—rituals that bind, jokes that exclude outsiders, a shared past that feels bigger than all of them.

But that’s where Posh truly shines—luring you into complicity before ripping away the curtain. As drinks flow and inhibitions fall, the evening spirals. A dark undercurrent emerges: a generational rage, the resentment of young aristocrats who believe they’ve been muted in modern Britain, where privilege is no longer applauded but looked down on. Their descent into violence is shocking yet all too believable. And when the inevitable consequences arrive, the final twist cuts deep—money shields, privilege prevails, and accountability is artfully dodged. A crime becomes a credential.

What makes Posh exhilarating is not just its pace or wit, but its layers. It’s a play that makes you laugh, then makes you uncomfortable for having laughed. It seduces, then indicts. Director and cast navigate these shifts with precision. The set design and costumes are elegant and old-world-like —a perfect metaphor for the world these boys inhabit, symbolic of the class system that has existed for generations. And the writing is as clever as it is cutting, never veering into caricature but instead painting a disturbingly real portrait of entitlement unchecked.

In a landscape where theatre often grapples with contemporary questions of identity and power, Posh stands out. With only two female characters, it doesn’t pretend to be balanced—it chooses to focus, with almost clinical scrutiny, on the male diaspora. It shows us men in their glory, their chaos, their fear, and their failure.

Posh is not just a play. It’s an invitation to the table, then a rude awakening.

To book tickets to Posh, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/posh.

Photographer: Robert Catto

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Snakeface – A Young Woman’s Raw And Unfiltered Portrait

Snakeface

Snakeface Rating

Click if you liked this article

Written and performed by Aliyah Knight, Snakeface is an unapologetically raw solo performance that plunges the audience into the turbulent mind of a young black woman navigating love, identity, and self-worth in white Australia. Staged in an intimate, amphitheatre-style venue seating no more than 80 people, the sparse set and close quarters create a confessional atmosphere – almost as if we’ve been invited into Snakeface’s private reckoning.

The play unfolds as a 90-minute monologue – fast-paced, fragmented, and emotionally charged. Knight’s character spirals through thoughts and memories, swinging between the emotional highs and gut-wrenching lows of relationships: a girlfriend she adores but who drifts in and out of her life, predatory men, and the isolating ache of being unseen. These aren’t clean narrative arcs but messy, unresolved entanglements – mirroring the chaos within.

There are moments of levity, brief flashes of sharp humour that puncture the heaviness. Yet overall, the experience is intense, almost claustrophobic in its honesty. It’s not an easy listen – the sheer density of language and emotional weight can be exhausting – but it’s also riveting.

Knight’s sculptor identity is cleverly embedded in the staging. A large block of soft clay sits at the centre of the set, which she digs into and manipulates as the performance progresses. By the end, she’s covered in it – a visceral visual metaphor for how we mould and are moulded by our traumas, desires, and decisions. The mesh backdrop, which doubles as a projection screen, flashes fragmented thoughts and phrases, echoing her inner turmoil and providing commentary or emotional cues for the audience.

The sound design by Marco Cher-Gibard adds an atmospheric layer – ranging from subtle ambient textures to pounding nightclub beats – underscoring shifts in mood and energy. Similarly, lighting by Rachel Lee and projection design by Wendy Yu enhance the storytelling, immersing us deeper into Snakeface’s emotional landscape.

Though the structure at times feels loose, even meandering, it’s this lack of polish that gives Snakeface its edge. It’s not about resolution – it’s about being seen in the mess. And Knight, as the sole performer, commands the space with stamina and vulnerability, keeping the audience engaged throughout.

Directed and dramaturged by Bernadette Fam and supported by a team of creatives – including producer Madeleine Gandhi, set and props designer Keerthi Subramanyam, and movement director Fetu Taku – Snakeface is a collaborative feat with Knight’s bold performance at its heart.

The audience was predominantly female and spanned a wide age range, clearly resonating with the rawness and relatability of the themes. Practical comforts – padded seats, excellent air conditioning, and the welcome permission to bring drinks into the theatre – made the experience physically enjoyable, despite the emotional intensity onstage.

Snakeface is not a traditional play – it’s a poetic excavation, a cry for recognition, and a reflection of one woman’s attempt to make sense of her fractured world. It may not be comfortable viewing, but it is compelling, urgent, and defiantly human.

Snakeface was awarded runner-up in the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2024 New Play Award.

To book tickets to Snakeface, please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/snakeface/.

Photographer: Abraham de Souza

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Dear Elena Sergeevna at The Old Fitz

Dear Elena Sergeevna

Dear Elena Sergeevna Rating

Click if you liked this article

1

Written in 1980 by Lyudmila Razumovskaya and later adapted into film, Dear Elena Sergeevna remains relevant as an exploration of morality, humanity, and the darker side of ambition. Elena is a schoolteacher who is about to celebrate her birthday alone while her mother is in hospital.

Her quiet, humble evening is interrupted by a group of her students who visit to celebrate, or so they say, bringing gifts and alcohol. Their true intention is masked by their polite manners and youthful joviality, trying to bring Elena onside so she willingly helps them with a secret plan. But she refuses to be their accomplice, so the students hold Elena captive as the evening descends into a tense battle between different generations and ideologies.

The current production at The Old Fitz Theatre, directed by Clara Voda, doesn’t quite manage to capture the sense of danger and tension so evident in the script. The cast try their best with string performances. Teodora Matović is well cast as Elena, convincingly embodying the bookish, conservative and idealistic teacher. Toby Carey, Harry Gilchrist, Faisal Hamza and Madeline Li brought the students to life with energy and exuberance, even if they sometimes stumbled on their lines. Each was perfectly cast for their respective character.

The only thing missing was tension. At no point did I feel concern for Elena’s safety or fear what students may be capable of. Much of the subtleness in the script was missing. There were many lost opportunities where menace and terror could brood underneath the ideological conflict, but the emotions were big, loud, and shallow.

Elena’s outburst fell flat despite Teodora’s excellent physical performance, embracing the emotions completely. It was just the wrong directorial choice. I could barely hear anything being screamed and failed to have any emotional reaction to what should have been an incredibly powerful moment. Most of the important emotional moments were the same: big and loud rather than powerful.

I liked how the characters were always engaged in some activity, even when they were not the focus of the story. There was always something else going on, and that level of detail is commendable. The actors were almost always on stage, so keeping busy and interesting when you don’t have any important plot action to deliver can be challenging, and they did this skillfully. I also really enjoyed how the dialogue was dynamic, with characters constantly talking over each other like we do in real life. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to immerse me in the performance, and by the end of the play, all I could think about was what could have been. It’s still a great, timeless story. Maybe next time.

Dear Elena Sergeevna is now playing at the Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo until the 11th of April.

To book tickets to Dear Elena Sergeevna, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/dear-elena-sergeevna.

Photographer: Noah David Perry

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

‘Amber’: a sharp, soulful, and surprising journey through love and loss

Amber

Amber Rating

Click if you liked this article

5

Playwright and actress Nikita Waldron delivers a commanding performance in Amber, a thought-provoking and emotionally layered one-woman-led play exploring the romantic misadventures and inner life of a young Sydney woman. Waldron, who also wrote the script, is on stage for the full 90-minute production, holding the audience in the palm of her hand with equal parts vulnerability, wit and charm.

Amber is bright, likeable and emotionally raw – a young woman shaped by a generation raised on social media’s curated ideals of love and life. Her pursuit of romance follows a self-imposed checklist of how and when things should happen. It’s a narrative many young women will find deeply familiar, and one that older audience members may recognise in hindsight.

Waldron’s script is peppered with humour and razor-sharp observations about modern dating, self-worth, and the often-dizzying path to adulthood. The writing is clever and culturally relevant, with a rhythm that feels natural but purposeful. Dialogue zings with energy – smart, snappy, and fluently delivered. While some swearing enhanced the realism, a slightly lighter touch might have been just as effective.

Directed by Mehhma Malhi, and produced by Zoe Hollyoak, the play has a tight cast of five. The four supporting actors seamlessly slip between multiple roles, each performance distinct and believable. Esha Jessy, a NIDA graduate from Perth, plays Gabrielle, Amber’s best friend, with warmth and authenticity. Fellow NIDA grads Ashan Kumar, Harry Stacey, and Kurt Ramjan round out the ensemble, portraying Amber’s lovers and friends with nuance and credibility.

The play charts Amber’s life from puberty through early adulthood, following her turbulent journey through insecurity, grief, self-doubt, and finally, emotional clarity. Initially self-absorbed and desperate to fit the mould of ‘perfect love’, Amber spirals into anxiety and over-analysis, losing herself in the process of pleasing others.

Notably, the play introduces a spiritual dimension through Amber’s Catholic faith. Her evolving relationship with God parallels her romantic struggles, offering a subtle but poignant layer to her development – particularly in a moment where she rejects God, mirroring her rejection of the men who fail to meet her emotional needs.

Waldron’s diction is impeccable – every word lands clearly, a refreshing experience in an intimate theatre space. Her ability to hold extended monologues with dynamic pacing is impressive. However, the occasional longer pause between emotional beats could have helped punctuate the tension and allow the audience to fully absorb each turning point.

The Set design by Hailley Hunt is minimal yet inventive. The clever use of windows expands the visual space, while fluid prop transitions and subtle lighting shifts by Lighting Designer Izzy Morrisey lend the production a cinematic texture. Sound Designer and Composer Madeleine Picard’s strategically timed bursts of sound enhance the atmosphere without ever feeling intrusive.

The Old Fitz Theatre’s compact setting – just 55 seats – draws the audience into Amber’s inner world. It’s a venue that suits this intimate, confessional style of theatre perfectly.

‘Amber’ was the winner of the Rebel Wilson Comedy Commission (2021) through ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People). As one critic aptly noted, the play “derails romantic comedies from the Brat-Pack era to the noughties and rebuilds a new kind of Rom-Com fit for our times.”

Waldron herself described the commission as “outrageously exciting,” recounting how she danced in the gym, then cried, laughed, and ate celebratory ice cream when she shared the news with her family. “Making people laugh and connect with something meaningful through theatre is my favourite thing to do,” she told ATYP.

Practicalities: The theatre is well air-conditioned – bring a light cardigan if you run cold. Audience demographics spanned two distinct groups: twenty-somethings who related directly to Amber’s world, and older theatregoers intrigued by a fresh perspective on a timeless topic.

Tickets start at $38.50 for Cheap Tuesdays, with regular pricing ranging from $49.50 to $82.50, and concessions are available. Parking is generally available in nearby streets, and the adjoining pub serves excellent food – making it a great night out all around.

To book tickets to Amber, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/amber.

Photographer: Phil Erbacher

Spread the word on your favourite platform!