Review: RBG: OF MANY, ONE at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 11th April 2026.

The State Theatre Company of South Australia presents a Sydney Theatre Company production, RBG: Of Many, One, written by Olivier Award-winning Australian playwright, Suzie Miller, and directed by Priscilla Jackman. Heather Mitchell once more takes on the role of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of the USA. Her biography, the barriers that she faced, and the accomplishments that she achieved, would fill a book, even the many highlights being far beyond what I can include in a review. Full details of her life and career can easily be found online through a search on her name.

She was born Joan Ruth Bader on 15th March, 1933, in New York City, died on 18th September, 2020 (aged 87), in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband, Martin D. Ginsburg, whom she had married in 1954, and who had died in 2010. Her two most important appointments were, from June 30, 1980 to August 9, 1993, nominated by President Jimmy Carter, when she served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and, from 10th August, 1993 to her death on 18th September, 2020, nominated by President Bill Clinton, she was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She requested, in writing, that a replacement not be appointed until after the imminent election, on 3rd November, 2020, hoping for a change in president, but Donald Trump ignored that request and appointed Amy Coney Barrett, a MAGA Republican, before subsequently losing to Joe Biden. We all know what happened after that election.

Mitchell gives us Ruth, from a young teen to her final days, by changing her voice, her facial expressions, and her physical demeanour, and also adds impersonations of numerous other people with whom Ruth interacts at important moments in her life, including past presidents, and the current one, the latter garnering considerable laughter. Mitchell, who has been playing the role in hundreds of performances since the première in 2020, delivers a master class, as does Jackman’s direction, precise, not a movement wasted or contrived, nothing overdone.

It began with a poignant foreshadowing moment, a tight circle of light showing Ruth’s head and shoulders, dressed in her judicial robes, with a lace collar, a miniature portrait. The stage goes black and the lights come up again on her in casual clothing, hovering impatiently near the telephone as she waits for a call from Clinton to tell her whether or not she is to be appointed to the Supreme Court. As she waits, there are flashbacks.

Mitchell seems to shrink as she becomes the young teen, given a ticket to see her first opera, Puccini, and she recalls her impressions and feelings as she watches and listens. That wonderful scene alone is worth the price of a ticket. Ruth’s great love of opera was shared with her husband whom she married in 1954, and she was devastated when he died in 2010. In the blink of an eye, she drops her jaw, changes the line and movement of her lips, and ages six decades. Amazing!

The piece runs for 100 minutes without an interval, but the time seemed to fly past. Mitchell is totally captivating, as she brings Miller’s beautifully written script to life. There is no fourth wall. Ruth speaks directly to the audience as she tells her life story, occasionally interacting briefly, and there are plenty of laughs, as well as deeply meaningful moments. Ruth’s commitment to gender equality and women’s rights are well to the fore.

Designer, David Fleischer, presents a backdrop of interlocking concave and convex columns, with furniture and props brought on or removed by the crew at scene changes, while Lighting Designer, Alexander Berlage, adds atmosphere. Composer and Sound Designer, Paul Charlier, gave me a personal bonus by inserting numerous snatches of opera throughout the performance.

There is so much to love in this sensational production and Mitchell remarkable performance. It was no surprise, of course, that the members of the audience leaped to their feet in applause at the end of the performance, and called her back for two more bows. Do not wait a moment, book your tickets before it sells out.