★★★★☆
Fearless, provocative and deeply thought-provoking, Fair Play arrives at the Old Fitz Theatre for its Australian premiere. Ella Road’s razor-sharp script is brought to life by director Emma Whitehead and Lost Thought with honesty, humour and a real willingness to go to uncomfortable places.
What struck me most about Fair Play is how fearless it is in unpacking complicated ideas. The play never shies away from saying the difficult or uncomfortable thing, and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.
Conversations about women’s bodies have always been at the centre of public debate, and this play leans in with all its might. Women’s bodies are political. They’re scrutinised constantly, but they’re also a site of resilience. In many ways, this production felt like a beautiful ode to the struggles and complexities of womanhood.
At the centre of the show are two fantastic performances from Elodie Westhoff and Rachael Crossen. These women are total powerhouses. I have seen them both work previously, but never in roles as demanding and lengthy as this.
They make it look easy. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their friendship onstage feels incredibly real, capturing the complicated, messy, joyful nature of female friendships so well.
Both actors mine every inch of the script for its humour, vulnerability and emotional depth, and it’s clear the direction supports them to really go there.
There’s a monologue towards the end delivered by Crossan that has stayed with me since. She speaks about her Blackness in relation to her womanhood, and the moment lands with weight that is palpable.
It’s the kind of dialogue that makes you stop and think, which is exactly what I want from theatre. I love walking out of a show with more questions than answers, and this production absolutely delivers that.
Whitehead, Domköc and the whole creative team have brought the world of the play to life with such sensitivity. Every element sings. Production design by Kate Beere is sleek and minimalistic. The use of a brilliant challengers-esque score (Mitchell Brown & Osibi Akerejola) and powerful transitional movement pieces (Cassidy Mcdermott Smith) catapults the momentum of this piece forward.
My only critique is of the first 30 minutes. The play opens with a series of vignettes showing the early stages of the girls’ friendship. While I understand it’s important to establish that connection with the audience and each other, a number of those scenes felt redundant.
They didn’t necessarily push the story forward in any meaningful way. Because of that, the first half and second half of the play feel almost like night and day. It’s in the second half that the script really takes off. It is razor sharp and rigorous, with real pace, diving deeper into conversations about race, bodies and identity.
I found this theatre-going experience incredibly cathartic. In this moment in culture, I have been thinking about my body a lot. I feel overwhelmed with the amount of discourse that surrounds women’s bodies, especially online. It was so nice to get to log off social media and sit in the theatre to engage with these conversations in a way that felt thoughtful and balanced.
Now for some spoilers ahead! Click away if you are going to see the work (which I highly recommend you do).
I love the ending. I went with a close friend who was disappointed that Crossan’s character didn’t ultimately let Westhoff’s character inside her home. But to me, that’s exactly the point.
You’re not entitled to forgiveness. It’s your responsibility to educate yourself and do the work. Sophie deeply misunderstands her friend’s experience and feels entitled to something that simply isn’t hers to demand. It leaves that tension unresolved, which feels honest and necessary.
I’m always drawn to theatre that asks questions rather than neatly tying everything up, and Fair Play does that beautifully. It reminds us that the arts have always been political and they always will be.
Fair Play is presented by Lost Thought and runs until 21 March at the Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling Street Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011.
Tickets: https://tickets.iwannaticket.com.au/seller/old-fitz-ad9r
Website: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/fair-play
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/oldfitztheatre/ and https://www.instagram.com/lost_thought_arts/
Photo credits: Robert Miniter
