★★★★★
Melbourne Theatre Company’s Shoelace Chaser understands that responsibility can arrive long before adulthood does. Written by AWGIE Award winner Madelaine Nunn and directed by Liv Satchell, this stunning new work explores the demands of family responsibility, the pressure of growing up too quickly, and the life-altering impact of meeting the right person at exactly the right time.
The story follows Thea, a young woman caught in the relentless demands of adolescence and adulthood all at once. The audience first meets her where she feels most free: on the running track.
It’s there she meets Sid, her soon-to-be best friend and training partner. Their charmingly awkward meet-cute sparks the possibility of scholarships, university and maybe even the Olympics.
But the fantasy quickly fractures as the realities of Thea’s home life emerge. She is carer to her mother, Fiona, while juggling casual work just to keep things afloat.
The script moves effortlessly between these two worlds: one grounded in responsibility, the other driven by hope.
The Lawler theatre feels as though it was built for this production. Bianca Pardo’s beautifully detailed set creates an immediate sense of intimacy, drawing the audience directly into Thea’s world.
The family lounge room, framed by a running track, allows the action to shift easily between locations and emotional states. It’s a clever design that mirrors the play itself; constantly moving between survival and escape.
Ugandan-Australian actor Leigh Lule is exceptional as Thea, anchoring the entire production with warmth, maturity and emotional clarity. Lule brings a quiet intelligence to the role, allowing Thea’s resilience to sit alongside her exhaustion.
Making their Melbourne Theatre Company debut, Elliot Wood is endlessly charming as Sid. Wood’s comedic timing borders on genius, landing every line with an ease that feels completely unforced. They bring a natural rhythm to the production and create effortless chemistry with everyone on stage.
As Fiona, Zoe Boesen delivers a performance full of eccentricity, honesty and wisdom. Obsessed with horoscopes, palm reading and floristry, Fiona could easily become caricature in lesser hands, but Boesen grounds her in genuine humanity.
As expected at Melbourne Theatre Company, lighting and sound design sit at the centre of the production’s artistic vision. Thomas Roach’s lighting design and Tom Backhaus’s composition and sound design elevate the work beautifully, helping to shape Thea’s distinct worlds.
Roach’s lighting expertly distinguishes the harsh reality of Thea’s home life and the freedom and possibility of the running track, while Backhaus’s soundscape pulses beneath the action, grounding the emotional rhythm of the piece. Together, the design elements create a production that feels immersive without ever overwhelming the intimacy of the story.
In many ways, Shoelace Chaser is a story about running; toward freedom, toward possibility, and sometimes simply toward survival. Yet beneath its humour and heart, the production asks a far more difficult question about who gets the luxury of dreaming big when responsibility arrives too early.
Under Liv Satchell’s thoughtful direction, the result is a work that is emotionally honest from beginning to end. Tender, funny and deeply human, Shoelace Chaser will stay with you like the ache in your legs after a long run home.
Shoelace Chaser is presented by Melbourne Theatre Company and runs to 27 May at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. 140 Southbank Boulevard Southbank Vic 3006.
Tickets: https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2026/shoelace-chaser
Website: https://www.mtc.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbtheatreco/
Photo credits: Jacinta Keefe
