Review: NEVER HAVE I EVER at State Theatre Centre

BLACK SWAN Theatre Company’s latest offering brings us Deborah Frances-White, celebrated author and host of The Guilty Feminist podcast, making a powerful foray into playwriting with NEVER HAVE I EVER. True to Frances-White’s signature style, the play deftly tackles themes of gender, race, and class, all set against a friendship that beautifully illustrates how, despite our differences, we often share more than we realise. Ture to her comedic style, Frances-White infuses each lesson with a laugh and each laugh with a lesson. Never have I ever left a theatre laughing so loudly but thinking so deeply, until now.

The narrative centres on Jacq (Emily Rose Brennan) and Kas (Deep Sroa), a devotedly unmarried couple who have poured their lives and savings into a very niche restaurant. Facing imminent bankruptcy, they invite their friend and creditor Tobin (Will O’Mahony), and his wife Adaego (Ratidzo Mambo), with the idea of letting them down gently. What unfolds is a brutal reckoning of what each character possesses, what they lack, and what they believe they deserve. Their intimate dinner party descends into chaos as expensive wine flows, and each character attempts to one-up the others by highlighting their perceived disadvantages. This isn't a show of one-upmanship, but rather a compelling series of one-downs-manship, proving that there are truly no winners when everyone strives to be the loser. Friendships, relationships, and financial stability become little more than collateral damage as the four protagonists air their long held and deeply rooted grievances.

Despite the university student union that initially brought them together, each character holds profoundly different values. Emily Rose Brennan's Jacq brilliantly and hilariously dissects each of the other characters as the evening progresses. Her humble upbringing, initially a badge of honour, increasingly becomes a weapon wielded against each character in turn. Brennan embodies the abrasive yet warm-hearted individual many encounter in their lives, delivering her lines with a humour and sharpness that is surprisingly endearing. Will O’Mahony is almost too good as the affluent white male, Tobin. It seems the very last thing Tobin wants to be is exactly what he is, as he bemoans the unwarranted hate and innuendo that follow him, blissfully unaware that these fell into his lap along with wealth and power. O’Mahony delicately portrays his character, offering plenty to like in the least likeable character.

Ratidzo Mambo's Adaego is similarly oblivious to her own advantages while striving to prove her disadvantages. Her commanding personality and philanthropic persona are perfectly conveyed, with Mambo expertly illustrating how people of colour often develop these traits as coping mechanisms. With so much of the show pointing things out sometimes sharply and sometimes subtlely, one would never believe Deep Sroa was making his professional debut in NEVER HAVE I EVER unless it was explicitly pointed out. His character Kas serves as the warm-hearted fence-sitter, whose neutrality eventually explodes into a pointed and perfectly delivered diatribe that powerfully drives home many of the play’s central themes.

The entire play is set within the confines of the troubled restaurant, a masterfully designed space by Bryan Woltjen. Its open style allows the action to flow seamlessly while maintaining a consistent setting, with both front and back-stage cleverly utilised as alternate scenes within the same location. Lucy Birkinshaw’s subtle lighting design undergoes transformative changes, expertly shifting the atmosphere and emphasising the unspoken as much as the spoken. Kate Champion is at her directorial best, skilfully using the small cast to precisely draw and hold attention where needed, all while illustrating the complex dynamics that unfold when friends clash.

NEVER HAVE I EVER is a triumph of contemporary theatre, offering a sharp, witty, and profoundly insightful examination of human nature through the lens of social dynamics. Deborah Frances-White has crafted a play that resonates deeply, leaving audiences to ponder their own assumptions and privileges long after the show ends.

NEVER HAVE I EVER is at The State Theatre Centre until July 6th. Tickets and more information available from BLACK SWAN Theatre Company.