Annie Zeleznikow

I THOUGHT YOU SAID is a dark, passionate, and fast-paced show. It follows Frankie (Finn Corr) and Sam (Ally Taueki-Gatt) across a single evening of late night shift work. An experience I am deeply familiar with, late night shift work is often filled with empty space and time, providing ample opportunity for strange, emotional, and difficult conversations to occur. Corr and Taueki-Gatt immediately establish a taut and cordial connection that is pulled and stretched as the audience follows them throughout their evening. Bronte Lemaire’s direction and writing allows for humour to pepper tense moments of the show, and stretches the expectations the audience has of the characters.

The show begins with Frankie arriving at the store for their shift, both Frankie and Sam are in their own worlds, listening to their own music. Frankie and Sam discuss how we take in information, how do we process bad news and fear mongering? Frankie and Sam have different approaches to processing and dealing with a world that is slowly breaking down. The world that Fankie and Sam live in is plagued with dangerous falling stars, as a result of big business mining star cores.

Throughout the show there are several interludes and moments of chaos that represent the progressive danger of the falling stars. This fictional crisis is mirrored in the wars and conflict we see in our world today. After each interlude Sam and Frankie alternate and monologue directly to the audience. Frankie’s first monologue felt poignant, as they delved into the issue of performative posting on social media, and addressing that change can’t occur if you’re only shouting into an echo chamber. Frankie made me think, if we only have a limited time on this earth, wouldn’t we want to live as comfortably as possible? And if it has a negative impact on the world, how much impact can we as individuals have? What is the price of comfort?

Lemaire’s beautifully written show provided moments of levity among serious conversations. Sam and Frankie continue their evening, discussing the hypocrisy and environmental impact of large companies such as their employer. They argue about what people will sacrifice to remain good. Ultimately Sam feels that people are generally shallow, stating “it’s not a protest, it’s a parade,” that without sacrificing safety or causing real violent damage, any sort of activism falls short of effectiveness. I found myself disagreeing with Sam, and sympathising with Frankie. Both Sam and Frankie are passionate throughout the show, they both care, but they struggle to agree on how passion and care should manifest.

The dynamic relationship between the characters, matched by frantic lighting (designed by Allira Smith) created a powerful and lasting impression. I found myself questioning my own beliefs, and reconsidering how I engage with topics that I am passionate about. It’s clear that this production was created with love and care, that the creative team are thoughtful and want the audience to consider what meaningful action and engagement with the world looks like. I felt impassioned and empowered to take action, and its a testament to the power of theatre, and the power of this show.

To book tickets to I Thought You Said, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/i-thought-you-said.

Photographer: Mia Sugiyanto

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