Theatre Works St Kilda continues its packed 2026 season with Lazarus, written by John Harding and directed by Kamarra Bell-Wykes.
A powerful and inspiring retelling of the life of Taungurung elder Larry Walsh, Lazarus remains an impressive production despite a few opening-night glitches.
At the start of the night, the audience was fortunate to hear from Larry Walsh, the primary subject of the production, and a Welcome to Country from Glenn Loughrey. This introduction invited the audience to bring their own stories into the space.
The primer for the full house certainly proved necessary, as Lazarus drops its audience into the very real story of Larry Walsh. Throughout the show, the audience is confronted with the realities many Indigenous families have experienced, including in recent history.
From mothers being separated from children to those same children being failed time and again by a system that was supposedly designed to help them.
The story also includes the lighter side of Larry Walsh’s childhood, from cheeky youthful mischief to the positive influences on his life and the love and joy he received from family and friends.
Performers Sermsah Bin Saad, Nathan Wright, and Riley Warner all play Walsh, sharing a third of the performance each. They switched playing the role as Larry entered different phases of his life.
When not in their main role, the other two performers, along with Teresa Moore, play the various people who intersected with Larry Walsh’s extraordinary life. All of the performers turn in impressive work, particularly Moore, who gives a powerful performance as Walsh’s mother.
The entire performance is highly presentational in nature, as the performer in the role of Walsh serves as a narrator speaking directly to the audience for most of the show.
This device doesn’t ever disengage the audience from the story being told, as there is constant dynamism from the supporting cast and strong prose underpinning the entire show.
Unfortunately, the production struggled to maintain its momentum through the final third on opening night. While the excellent prose at the show’s centre remained compelling, the surrounding performance began to falter as lines were dropped and some scenes lost their rhythm.
As a result, the dynamism established earlier by the supporting cast faded, causing the closing moments to lose some of their impact. With time to settle into the season, these issues will hopefully smooth out in future performances.
Despite these late stumbles, there is still much to love about Lazarus. Larry Walsh’s story carries enormous power and heart, and this production has the foundations to do it justice.
Lazarus runs to 6 June at Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street St Kilda Vic 3182.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/lazarus-tickets-1976070504072
Website: https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/lazarus
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/theatreworksstkilda/
Photo credits: SMW Image
