From the mind of comedian and author Deborah Frances-White comes Never Have I Ever. Directed by Kate Champion, it’s showing in the beautiful Heath Ledger Theatre and presented by Black Swan Theatre Company.
Recently bankrupt chef, Jacq (Emily Rose Brennan), alongside her boyfriend, Kas (Deep Sroa), invite their friends Tobin (Will O’Mahony) and Adaego (Ratidzo Mambo) to their restaurant to deliver some shocking news. After a drunken attempt at the titular game, secrets are revealed that throw all their relationships into question.
Each of the four actors bring instantly relatable passion and pause to Frances-White’s emotionally diverse script. Brennan’s Jacq (short for Jacqueline) transitions from peppy to sombre seamlessly. O’Mahony’s Tobin brings an impressive amount of menace and justified anger despite having no huge speeches. As Adaego, Mambo delivers the dialogue of an indignant protester with effortless precision. As Kas, Sroa’s speech on building political bridges earned him applause from an audience that previously doled out a smattering of claps and chuckles.
The blocking in particular is superbly executed. So much so that I briefly forgot that an actor contemplatively facing the audience could only mean their character is literally standing 20cm from a featureless wall. This was made especially noticeable during several dramatic standoffs. The actors, spread out across the stage, were not only completely visible from my position, but their reflections in the large, back window were perfectly tessellated into their negative space.
Set and costume designer Brian Woltjen has constructed a deceptively detailed set for what initially looks like a standard Teppanyaki restaurant, with four tables and a weirdly insufficient number of chairs. A small, mostly unused front desk, complete with a POS system, finishes a genuinely convincing interior that never relies on compensatory artistic minimalism.
The aforementioned back window functions appropriately to open up a potentially claustrophobic production. The orchestra pit takes on the appearance of a wine cellar with dozens of bottles. These two additions give much-appreciated levels to a fairly static stage. This is wonderfully utilised during the middle of Act Two, as the four characters systematically pair off to wait on the street outside or discuss ideas down below.
Given Deborah Frances-White’s political leanings, ideas of ideological arguments about privilege and shaming from the perspective of four self-proclaimed left-wingers are prevalent throughout the show. Most viewers, unaware of this before entering the theatre, may be blindsided by how dense these discussions get. They cumulatively swallow up a big portion of Act One, with only one flippant line of dialogue instigating the entire conflict.
It’s mostly saved from becoming a lecture by unfolding into a personal story of power and justice. There is also enough introspection and parody that even a conservative viewer could enjoy watching people have a pitiful battle of self-righteousness.
Never Have I Ever contains wonderfully directed performances and cutting dialogue, providing for an intriguing and emotional production. It is recommended for anyone interested in intimate drama (and jokes about wine).
Never Have I Ever runs to 6 July at the Heath Ledger Theatre, Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA.
Tickets: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2025/never-have-i-ever
Website: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/blackswanstc/
Photo credits: Daniel J Grant
