So Young starts with the strange shock of seeing old friends reunite after a tough year. It then drops you straight into the tension of a man trying to rebuild a life that has broken in too many places.
The play arrives in Sydney at the Old Fitz Theatre with an impressive history. Douglas Maxwell premiered So Young at the Traverse Theatre during the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe. The production won a Fringe First, the Hector Macmillan Award for Best Play, and later Best Play at the Critics’ Awards Scotland 2025.
Outhouse Theatre Co now presents its Australian premiere, adding it to a strong list of sharp, contemporary titles, including Eureka Day, Ulster American and Consent.
Three months after the death of his wife, Milo invites two long-time friends to his home. They plan to drink wine, listen to music, and remember earlier days. Milo then introduces someone new: Greta. His new, twenty-year-old girlfriend, whom he met online.
She believes their connection is real. His friends do not. What follows is a night that tests loyalty, grief, fear, and the belief that people can begin again.
Maxwell’s honest writing knows how people speak. People talking over each other, losing their place and going back, contradicting themselves and talking circles around it. The story feels charged from the start, stays grounded throughout and avoids easy answers.
Director Sam O’Sullivan shapes the production with care. He keeps the pace tight and draws sharp contrasts between silence and conflict. Nothing feels rushed. Nothing feels forced.
His choices honour the note he shares in the program: “The story cares about all four characters and advocates for each point of view passionately. None of them are faultless, but none of them are beyond redemption either.”
This balance impressed me most. I left the theatre thinking about how easy it is to judge others and how hard it is to admit our own mistakes.
The cast delivers strong and detailed work. Henry Nixon creates a fragile and unpredictable Milo who holds the room with small shifts in mood. Ainslie McGlynn gives Liane a dry edge that hides deep hurt.
Jeremy Waters brings humour and weight to Davie while also serving as producer for Outhouse Theatre Co. Aisha Aidara’s Greta is open, hopeful, and unflinching. She never turns the role into a joke, which makes the tension even sharper.
The design team builds a clear and lived-in world. Kate Beere’s set and costumes create a neat but tired home marked by recent loss. Aron Murray’s lighting moves the story from comfort to unease with clean changes of colour and intensity.
Johnny Yang’s sound design supports the shifts in tone while his music adds a quiet sense of longing. Dialect coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley ensures each character’s Scottish accent remains consistent and grounded.
So Young offers a close look at grief, renewal, and friendship at the breaking point. It asks hard questions without judging the answers. It is honest, sharp, and full of feeling. This is thoughtful and gripping theatre that deserves a full house. I recommend it without hesitation.
So Young is presented by Outhouse Theatre Co and runs to 22 November at the Old Fitz Theatre. 129 Dowling Street Woolloomooloo NSW 2011.
Tickets: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/book-now
Website: https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/so-young
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/outhousetheatreco/
Photo credits: Richard Farland
