Performed at the Heath Ledger Theatre, Never Have I Ever is a bold and biting new play by Deborah Frances-White, best known for her podcast The Guilty Feminist. Directed by Kate Champion, this production by Black Swan Theatre Company is a rollercoaster of laughs, tension, and uncomfortable truths.
Never Have I Ever packs a cultural punch so effective you simply boil over to share whispers in the blackouts, rapid fire observations in the interval and deeper musings in the line at the CPP.
The story unfolds in a boutique restaurant run by Jacq and Kas, who are hosting a final dinner with their old friends and investors Adaego and Tobin. The restaurant is bankrupt, and the evening starts with polite conversation and expensive wine. The set design is so stylish and intimate you’d be pressed to distinguish it from any Northbridge bar right around the corner.
Emily Rose Brennan and Deep Sroa. Photography by Daniel J Grant.
Frances-White’s writing is sharp and funny, with a knack for exposing the messy layers of race, class, privilege, and sexuality. While these are obviously not new concepts, it is refreshing to have some validation that no one, no matter their constellation of personal traits and background, is completely in the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. What actually unifies us is that we’ve all got things to learn and things to unlearn. While its a slow burn, Deep Sroa as Kas emerges as the voice of reason to clarify and crystallise why its so uncomfortable to be on the fence, and on the opposite sides of it.
The cast is, simply, excellent. The chemistry between the actors makes the tension feel real, particularly in the first act. The pace is more awkward in the second act where frequent blackouts disrupt the otherwise organic pace of a single evening’s events.
The playlist and sound design is an ode to a millennial heart. When you’re not asking each other ‘what would you do?’, you’re asking ‘when’s the last time you heard this song? 2005 surely?’. Might be time to put Toxic back on the playlist.
Never Have I Ever is a brave, provocative night at the theatre that asks difficult questions we’ve likely not been asked ourselves before. It’s funny, uncomfortable, and “relatable content” for those of us who are trying to remind ourselves to enjoy the deck chairs knowing full well we’re on the Titanic.
Never Have I Ever is now playing at the Heath Ledger Theatre, with performances until Sunday 6 July.