Brisbane review - Torch the Place: a remarkable piece of contemporary theatre
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Torch the Place
Presented by Queensland Theatre Company
Written by Benjamin Law
Directed by Ngoc Phan
Lighting Design – Briana Clark
Composer and Sound Design – Wil Hughes
Billie Brown Theatre, South Brisbane
Until 29 March 2026
Prices start from $36 for youth, $75 concession and $80 for adults
Written by celebrated Australian author, journalist and playwright Benjamin Law, Torch the Place premiered with Melbourne Theatre Company in 2020 and quickly established itself as one of the most compelling contemporary Australian plays of recent years. Known for his insightful storytelling and sharp observational humour, Law crafts a script that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Now brought to Brisbane audiences by Queensland Theatre at the fabulous Billie Brown Theatre, the work arrives as a powerful and deeply engaging theatrical experience.
At its heart, Torch the Place centres on a family gathering that is anything but ordinary. Teresa has returned home to help organise her mother’s 60th birthday celebration, but the carefully planned occasion soon reveals another purpose entirely. What begins as a seemingly joyful milestone event gradually becomes something more confronting — a moment of reckoning for a family grappling with unresolved grief, long-simmering tensions, deeply buried truths and an inability to let things go - both figuratively and literally. The birthday celebration, it becomes clear, is also serving as cover for an intervention.
The play unfolds within the walls of the family home, which has become something of a museum of memories. Objects, photographs and relics of the past surround the characters, serving as constant reminders of shared history, loss and the complex emotional ties that bind them together. As the evening progresses, long-suppressed feelings begin to surface, and the family is forced to confront difficult conversations about identity, belonging and the lingering impact of trauma.
Benjamin Law’s writing is both warm and piercingly honest. Torch the Place is totally hilarious and at the same time deeply meaningful and moving. Moments of razor-sharp humour sit comfortably alongside profound emotional depth, allowing the story to explore themes of grief, loss, pain, racism and rage — but above all love. The result is a play full of heart, one that captures the complicated dynamics of family with remarkable authenticity.
Director Ngoc Phan brings tremendous sensitivity and energy to the production. The result is theatre that is thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end — a sharp script, wonderfully directed and brilliantly delivered. The rhythm of the story is expertly handled, allowing both the comedy and the more reflective moments to land with equal impact.
Central to the success of the production is a superb ensemble cast, each bringing clarity and depth to their characters.
As Mum, Hsiao-Ling Tang absolutely commands the stage with quiet authority and emotional depth. Her character sits at the centre of the family’s complex, shared history, and Tang delivers a simply magnificent performance that is both powerful and deeply affecting.
Denise Chan delivers a compelling performance as Teresa, the eldest daughter who has been shouldering the load with quiet determination and emotional vulnerability. Teresa’s complicated relationship with her family, and particularly with her mother, forms the emotional backbone of the story, and Chan navigates this beautifully.
Kristie Guy’s Natalie brings warmth, humour and perceptive insight to the family dynamic. Her nuanced performance captures the character’s attempts to maintain harmony even as tensions escalate around her, and she does a magnificent job of revealing true depth behind the character’s apparent superficiality.
Logan So gives a wonderful portrayal of Toby, whose presence adds both levity and perspective to the unfolding events. His performance provides a refreshing balance to the heavier emotional currents of the story.
Completing the ensemble, Peter Thurnwald brings energy, physicality and a thoughtful insight to Paul, contributing further layers to the intricate relationships that drive the unfolding narrative forward.
The production design enhances the storytelling beautifully. The set functions as a living archive of the family’s life — a true museum of memories — filled with objects and visual cues that quietly reinforce the play’s themes of history, belonging and identity. Briana Clark’s lighting design helps shape the emotional rhythm of the production, while Wil Hughes’ music and sound design subtly underscore the unfolding drama.
Under Phan’s direction, the production strikes an impressive balance between humour and emotional resonance. The performances feel authentic and immediate, allowing the audience to connect deeply with the characters and their journeys.
Torch the Place is a remarkable piece of contemporary theatre. Totally hilarious and at the same time deeply meaningful and moving, it explores complex and important themes with warmth, honesty and compassion. Thoroughly entertaining and filled with heart, this Queensland Theatre production offers audiences an engaging and memorable theatrical experience that lingers long after the final moments on stage.
Comments