DUBLIN 2026: Review: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE IN AUSTRALIA, Mill Theatre
LEGROOM Collective's interactive comedy explores emigration and quarter-life isolation at the Mill Theatre.
Emigration, long-distance friendship, and the quiet ache of being the one left behind in Dublin are subjects ripe with genuine emotional truth. In LEGROOM Collective’s All My Friends Are in Australia, created by Lucy Bruton and Caoimhe O’Farrell, this timely premise frames an interactive two-hander following Trudy (Juliette Christle) as her best friend Granya departs for Australia. Through an energetic series of participatory sketches, the production transforms the audience into party guests, running motivators, and sounding boards as Trudy navigates her quarter-life crisis.
The production finds its most playful footing in its satire of modern wellness culture. A sequence structured around a chaotic yoga and meditation class delivers genuinely amusing comedy, poking fun at pseudo-philosophical mindfulness, collective breathing exercises, and tree-and-roots manifestations. When leaning into these lighthearted, absurd scenarios, the show captures an engaging, communal energy that highlights the performers' comedic enthusiasm.
However, the narrative quickly loses momentum as it struggles to connect its episodic vignettes into a cohesive emotional arc. Between a bizarre group job interview for a "dog consultant" position, a half-marathon, and an awkward funeral confrontation, the script flattens its characters into broad types rather than exploring their inner lives. Juliette Christle handles Trudy’s miserable, directionless angst with commitment, but the text leaves her with little depth to unpack. Meanwhile, Siobhán Matshazi deftly tackles multiple roles, yet a lack of distinct physical and vocal shifts makes her various character transitions blur together.
The show ultimately falters when pivoting from playful audience participation to heavier themes of grief, loneliness, and fading connections. Because the preceding scenes rely on superficial comedy, the eventual emotional reconciliation feels unearned. All My Friends Are in Australia captures a relatable modern Irish dilemma, but its fragmented structure prevents its poignant central theme from truly hitting home.
All My Friends Are in Australia played at the Mill Theatre, Dundrum on October 8-9th.
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