Once in Royal David's City | Queensland Theatre

22 April - 14 May [Past Event] Playhouse, QPAC$55 - 86Buy tickets Season tickets

In a nutshell

The great new Australian play by one of our greatest writers

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Who are we, what are we doing here, and why is it so? Faced with the loss of a parent, do we rage against the universe, search for connection or hope for an epiphany?

On the beaches of northern New South Wales, theatre director Will has planned to share a restful, halcyon Christmas with his recently-widowed mother. But then she falls ill. During a bedside vigil, Will is forced to piece together the splintered shards of his own life, questioning his role as an artist, as a son, as a citizen of the world.

Artistic Director Sam Strong marks his Queensland Theatre directorial debut with this heartfelt work by playwright and former Artistic Director Michael Gow. At once intimate and sweeping, balancing warmth with wrath, Once In Royal David’s City is a life-affirming story about family, loss, purpose, politics, and the endless possibilities of art.

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Reviews

...emotionally charged yet marvellously poignant...★★★★½ - Limelight Magazine

Honestly, this play couldn’t be better. - WestEnd Magazine

beautifully written and superbly directed - The Courier-Mail

One of the few plays to motivate me to standing ovationWestend Magazine

…leaves audiences asking deep questions of themselves, rather than what they’ve seen. A humble and emotional exploration of human existence and our capacity to feel.★★★★½ - Out In Perth

The extraordinary skills of Queensland Theatre artistic director Sam Strong and designer Stephen Curtis combine to produce scenes with maximum physical and emotional impactThe Australian

Beautifully nuanced... expertly crafted... a show of joy and lightStage Whispers

there’s plenty to chew over, and much to enjoy…uniformly excellentThe West Australian

'Once in Royal David's City' the best play Brisbane hasn't Seen YetQnews

theatre that makes you think, and laugh, and feel.Australian Stage

…a play with genuine, well-crafted, touching scenes, and ponders on the human conditionCool Perth Nights

Cast includes
Adam Booth, Penny Everingham, Emma Jackson, Jason Klarwein, Toni Scanlan, Adam Sollis, Kaye Stevenson and Steve Turner.

Director
Sam Strong

Designer
Stephen Curtis

LX Designer
Matt Scott

Composer/Sound Designer
Ash Gibson Greig

Choreographer & Movement Director
Nerida Matthaei

Singing Coach
Jason Barry Smith

Dialect Consultant
Melissa Agnew

Stage Manager
Kathryn O'Halloran

Assistant Stage Manager
Heather O'Keefe

Director Observation
Katrina Irawati Graham Director Observation
Matthew Seery

Runtime:
100 minutes with no interval