★★★★☆
Which Way Home, presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, is a beautiful play filled with warmth, humour, crackling dialogue, and a whole lot of heart and soul.
Based on writer Katie Beckett’s own childhood – she lost her mother young and was raised by her Dad – it radiates authenticity and emotional truth. Beckett has crafted a work that resonates deeply with meaning and humanity.
A father (Dad) and his daughter, Tash, embark on a road trip from the city to their ancestral lands. Along the way, they yarn about the past, portrayed through a rich series of vignettes.
They revisit the loss of Tash’s mother at an early age, key memories from her childhood, Dad’s overprotectiveness, his health, their connection to Country, and his fear of Tash being taken from him. In the process, a vivid portrait emerges of a deep and abiding love between father and daughter.
Derek Nannup and his real-life daughter, Shaquita Nannup, light up the stage as Dad and Tash. Their genuine bond translates effortlessly to the performance, enlivened by Beckett’s sharp and affectionate banter.
Derek’s comedic chops are off the Richter scale. (In his other life, he ran a clowning school for six years.) He delivers every line with relish and impeccable comic timing, infusing Dad with mischief, playfulness, and outrageously funny physicality. The scene where he shows off his legs in a pair of bright orange banana boxers had the audience in stitches.
Shaquita Nannup is gorgeous and grounded as Tash. A relative newcomer to the stage – she graduated from WAAPA’s Aboriginal Theatre course in 2024 – she is natural, confident, and thoroughly engaging. Her chemistry with Derek crackles with charisma, wicked humour, and undeniable affection.
Just as Beckett’s own love for her father underpins the story, the Nannups’ real-life connection gives the performance a rare authenticity that moves the audience deeply.
Charlotte Meagher’s set initially looks fun, with a jumble of camping gear: cushions, a mattress, jerry cans, eskies, water bottles, a stripey bag, and a rusty old bike, suggesting a camping trip.
However, since the story centres on a road journey, the lack of a steering wheel or visual cues of a car feels like a missed opportunity. Tash’s relaxed hands in her lap, rather than gripping an imaginary wheel as she trades verbal jabs with her dad, makes the scenes feel a little static. An old Aussie car might have more clearly signalled the play’s road-trip reality.
Still, Meagher redeems this with her beautiful chalk drawings at the sides of the stage, which glow blue under Joelene Whibley’s lighting design to evoke the mystery of the bush at night as the pair near their ancestral homeland. The star-dotted backdrop is a gentle, poetic touch that complements the scene of father and daughter stargazing.
Which Way Home is a heartfelt, funny, and powerfully human story that celebrates family, memory, and the unbreakable bond between a father and daughter. With Beckett’s tender writing and the Nannups’ luminous performances, it’s a road trip rich in laughter, love, and longing, one that stays with you long after the lights fade.
Which Way Home is presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and runs to 9 May at the Subiaco Arts Centre. 180 Hamersley Road Subiaco WA 6008.
Tickets: https://www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au/venues/subiaco-arts-centre/whats-on/which-way-home/
Website: https://yirrayaakin.com.au/production/which-way-home/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/yirra_yaakin/
Photo credits: Dana Weeks
