The funny and provocative play Never Have I Ever will make its eagerly awaited Australian premiere with Melbourne Theatre Company this February. Audiences will be whisked into the vibrant atmosphere of a restaurant brought to life on stage at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio. Cast are now in rehearsals ahead of performances from Saturday 15 February.
Written by Deborah Frances-White, the internationally celebrated host of the wildly popular podcast The Guilty Feminist, and directed by Melbourne Theatre Company’s Associate Artist Tasnim Hossain, fresh from the success of the company’s production of English in 2024, this is an unforgettable night at the theatre.
Featuring star of the Australian stage and screen, and AACTA Award-winning writer Simon Gleeson (Les Misérables), along with Chika Ikogwe (Heartbreak High), Katie Robertson (Five Bedrooms), and Sunny S Walia (Shantaram), Never Have I Ever invites audiences to pull up a chair at a dinner party with two couples sharing one last meal in honour of their failed restaurant venture. Fuelled by top-shelf booze, a seemingly playful drinking game exposes the real dynamics driving their relationships: power, resentment, envy, and fear. But that’s just the entrée. As tensions boil over, the surface banter gives way to a seething stew of opinions and feelings about money, sex, race, and class, served with a wickedly playful edge.
Never Have I Ever will leave audiences feeling like the fifth guest at this surprising dinner party, caught up in the razor-sharp dialogue, searing wit, and unexpected revelations
“Melbourne Theatre Company is overjoyed to present the Australian premiere of this hilariously sharp and brilliantly irreverent piece of work from the powerhouse that is Deborah Frances-White. With our own talented Associate Artist Tasnim Hossain leading the company and an all-star cast, Never Have I Ever is a theatrical experience to remember” says Melbourne Theatre Company’s Artistic Director & Co-CEO Anne-Louise Sarks.
Don’t miss this deliciously entertaining premiere that confirms the most personal form of politics is also the most explosive.
Directed by Tasnim Hossain, the Never Have I Ever creative team includes Set & Costume Designer Zoe Rouse, Lighting Designer Rachel Lee, Composer & Sound Designer Sidney Millar, Voice & Dialect Coach Mark Wong, Assistant Director Aubrey Flood and Intimacy Coordinator Isabella Vadiveloo.
Never Have I Ever begins previews on Saturday 15 February at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne. Tickets via mtc.com.au.
Image: Sarah Walker
