★★★★☆
Go to work. Complete the work. Go home. Go back to work. Do Not Pass Go.
Do Not Pass Go, presented by Melbourne Theatre Company, is an offbeat comedy that slowly descends into dramedy. Written by Jean Tong, it explores the cyclical nature of work, interrogating identity and our place in the bigger picture.
When did our lives become about work? What happened to our lives outside of this? What’s the point?
Do Not Pass Go is existential but never condescending. It instead asks these questions with us, reminding us that the structures that dictate our lives don’t have to, as much as they seem to.
The play questions authority while exposing the quiet power of hierarchy. Rather than condemning corporate work as meaningless, it interrogates the structures that define it and how often we shape our lives around work, instead of the other way around. It’s not about the actual job, in the way a show like Severance is; the job itself is not necessarily the problem.
Do Not Pass Go balances these ideas wonderfully between its two main characters, Penny and Flux, brilliantly portrayed by Belinda McClory and Ella Prince, respectively.
McClory as Penny is a strong-willed woman, at peace with the cards she’s been dealt. She understands questioning the system, but sees it as futile, because she’s never seen it work out successfully.
Prince as Flux is optimistic about change and believes in their voice having power. However, they are slowly having that light dimmed as the pressures of life, work and identity come to weigh on them.
McClory and Prince together are a powerhouse, a magnetic push and pull of ideas delivered through incredibly nuanced performances. Their characters feel refreshingly modern, expressed not just through their beliefs, but through their delivery of those beliefs. Never preachy, just honest and open.
There’s a monologue Ella Prince delivers about shirts as the play comes to its conclusion, cleverly written and expertly executed. It’s a fabulous metaphor that condenses the play’s big ideas into something tangible, yet impossible to pin down.
With all of this in mind, the show is also really funny. Tong’s writing is charming and witty, and as each character tries to understand the other, it sets up a real odd couple pairing that is endlessly endearing.
The script allows the audience to alternate whose side they are on in each discussion Penny and Flux have, carving out personalities with refreshing contradictions.
Katy Maudlin’s direction balances these tonal shifts, allowing us to laugh at the absurdity of capitalism, but also allowing the emotional beats to stand on their own. This creates space for an ending that takes the characters outside of the play’s world for a moment and lets us sit in contemplation.
Jacob Battista’s set design vividly establishes the world, creating a scene that feels instantly recognisable. Harrie Hogan’s lighting design pairs beautifully with the set.
I loved the use of the practical fluorescent lights, beautifully moody and expressive, to create tension. There’s a powerful juxtaposition to this light at the end, a warm orange light from an open door that opposes the cold overhead lights, alluding to the world outside the characters’ four walls.
Do Not Pass Go is a captivating dissection of capitalism, identity and the structures that confine our humanity. It’s funny and reflective and wants us to question the rules that we instinctively follow.
Do Not Pass Go is presented by Melbourne Theatre Company and runs to 28 March at The Lawler, Southbank Theatre. 140 Southbank Boulevard Southbank Vic 3006.
Tickets: https://tickets.mtc.com.au/production/19781
Website: https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2026/do-not-pass-go/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbtheatreco/
Photo credits: Pia Johnson
