★★★★½
A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying, a world premiere musical from Green Door Theatre Company, isn’t perfect, but it teaches us that it shouldn’t have to be.
Following acclaimed concert presentations at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and the Hayes Festival of New Work, the show arrives in Sydney at the Old Fitz Theatre in its first full production, offering a messy, searching exploration of identity, performance, and connection.
The musical follows Corrin (Blake Appelqvist), a transfemme nonbinary micro-influencer known for their vicious take-downs. So when their friends need someone dealt with, Corrin is who they look to.
This leads to a scheme where Corrin sets themselves up on a date with the traitor of the trans community, Avis O’Hara. The plan is to find her weaknesses and get her cancelled. But things go pear-shaped as Corrin falls in love.
Written and composed by Cassie Hamilton, who also plays Avis, the show has already made its mark. At the 2025 APRA AMCOS Professional Development awards, A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying won Hamilton an award in the musical theatre category.
Directed by Jean Tong, the musical revels in online queer discourse. This is established the second you walk into the theatre. Ruby Jenkins’ set design sees the walls of the stage covered in graffiti with various references to trans internet culture.
If the stage wasn’t enough, we meet Sasha, played by Teo Vergara and Mouth Feel, played by Rosie Rai. These supporting cast members represent two very different archetypes within the queer community: a clout-chasing party fan and a transfemme DJ, respectively.
The costuming alone does so much for characterisation in this show. Fittingly, every character is very fashionable. Even without the quippy dialogue, you would be able to tell exactly how each character would act.
Though every song is inspired by hyper-pop, the songs that lean more towards classic theatre stand out the most. Falling in Love with Someone endears Avis to the audience, and Hamilton’s vocals are excellent.
The songs that lean further towards hyper-pop are a little hard to follow, but still entertaining. The strongest example of this is the song about bottom surgery. It is hilarious and had the whole audience cracking up.
Often in theatre, the audience is placed in an ambiguously American setting. Refreshingly, this musical is set in Australia.
Though the show makes many references to issues affecting the community as a whole, it also makes references to more specific examples, such as Pauline Hansen and Tim Nicholls. Hamilton has even written songs to suit Australian accents, which you don’t often hear, even in Australian pop music.
Em-Jay Dwyer’s sound design supports the digital space in which the musical is set. The varying notification sounds as characters communicate across different platforms is a clever way to immerse audiences in their world.
Hamilton’s fast-paced writing touches on many key discourses within the trans community. Yet she is careful not to confuse her main message. At its core, A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying warns against division. Hamilton reminds us that there’s no right way to be trans.
A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying is no doubt a pivotal piece of Australian theatre. Capturing so many unique elements in a single musical and actually pulling it off is no easy feat. As a trans person and theatre fanatic, I’m already excited to see where Hamilton goes next.
A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying is presented by Green Door Theatre Company and runs to 11 April at the Old Fitz Theatre. 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011.
Tickets: https://tickets.iwannaticket.com.au/event/a-transgender-woman-on-the-internet-crying-txnbty
Website: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/a-transgender-woman-on-the-internet-crying
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/atwotic/ and https://www.instagram.com/oldfitztheatre/
Photo credits: Brett Boardman
