Review: DEAR SON – love from the heart at Belvoir St Theatre

DEAR SON

January 14th, 6:30 PM 2026, Belvoir St Theatre

DEAR SON – love from the heart.

DEAR SON invites us into the warmth, wisdom, and enduring strength of an Indigenous men’s gathering. Based on the book of the same name by Thomas Mayo, and adapted for the stage by director Isaac Drandic along John Harvey, this is theatre as conversation, ceremony, and offering.

In the wake of the 2023 Voice referendum, the fault lines of the Australian psyche were laid bare. In one response, twelve Indigenous men were asked to write letters to their sons or fathers, reflecting on their pasts, their hopes, and the futures they dream of. These letters form the emotional and thematic backbone of Dear Son.

They speak to personal pain, family struggle, masculinity, and the ongoing Indigenous experience shaped by colonisation’s long shadow on the world’s oldest living culture. What emerges is not grievance theatre, but something far more intimate: lived truth spoken with restraint, humour, and grace.

The audience is taken on an emotional and enlightening journey as these men reveal how experience has shaped them, and how learning and growth remain ongoing acts. The stories unfold in multiple forms throughout the evening: song, poetry, storytelling, conversation, and direct address. With humour and heart, Jimi Bani, Waangenga Blanco, Kirk Page, Aaron Pedersen, and Tibian Wyles deliver grounded performances that feel less like acting and more like testimony, often drawing from their own histories.

The opening sequence with a simple structure is profoundly touching. The men welcome us with joy and a unique stillness. Offering a glimpse into Indigenous ways of being and their remarkable sensibility.

While the Play later confronts toxic male behaviours, this moment allows us to sit in the beauty of masculinity.

The work moves fluidly between humour and gravity, traversing First Peoples’ history through references to the Stolen Generations, Mabo, racism in the media, and internal community struggles. These moments are beautifully supported by composer and sound designer Will Hughes, whose score blends traditional and contemporary elements to create a rich emotional landscape. It is a standout contribution.

Kevin O’Brien’s set evokes the outback with an earthy palette and an iconic veranda that grounds the storytelling. At times, the structural posts obscure sightlines and projected text, but visually the design remains evocative and fitting, a visual imspiration.

At its core, Dear Son recognises the power of language and generational learning. These men acknowledge that their fathers did the best they could with the resources they had, while urging the next generation to fight for better stories. There is a deep generosity in this perspective, and an understanding that progress is built slowly, across bloodlines.

The play ultimately lands on a simple yet profound truth: love is the answer. Love as a force. Love as responsibility. Love as legacy.

There are moments where the work leans towards the tone of a travelling educational piece for remote communities, and some transitions between letters feel underdeveloped from a dramaturgical standpoint. However, these moments do little to diminish the overall impact.

Dear Son is moving, insightful, heartfelt, and important theatre. Its strength lies in its courage, warmth, and insight to the power of Love.

 Images by David Kelly. 

Belvoir St Theatre

Venue                                      Upstairs Theatre

Dates                                       8-25 Jan 26

Duration Approx.           70 minutes (No interval)

CAST

Jimi Bani Waangenga

Blanco Kirk Page

Aaron Pedersen

Tibian Wyles

CREATIVES

Author  Thomas Mayo Director/Co-Adaptor Isaac Drandic

Co-Adaptor  John Harvey

Set Designer  Kevin O’Brien

Costume Designer Delvene  CockatooCollins

Lighting Designer David Walters

Video Designer  Craig Wilkinson

Composer &  Sound Designer Wil Hughes

Choreographer &  Movement Director  Waangenga Blanco

Associate Lighting  Designer  Eben Love

Associate Composer & Sound Designer  Patrick Mau

Assistant Director  Tibian Wyles

Assistant Construction & Set Designer  Liam Maza

AV Realiser Susie Henderson

Vocal Coach  Marcus Oborn

Stage Manager Sam Illingworth

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