Straight panic

Anna Sokolova
Jun 23
3 min read

@purpletapeproductions with ATYP 16-27 June 2026, Sydney

The review

“Straight Panic”, written by Lachlan Parry @lachieparry and directed by Lily Hayman @lilyhayman, is a triptych of independent stories, all intended to be centered on homophobia, created as a bold, if not grotesque, comedy. It is caricaturistic, and it is uproariously funny. For the last three days, I have lived with this play in mind, trying to solve a paradox. The stories here are not calling for the theme they are announced to target.

Set up in a laconicly designed space, the first one is about a hectic staff meeting in Myer George Street, anxiously preparing for a big, big event of the General Manager's visit. Next one about the dysfunctional family of a politician on their Christmas day, and the last one about year-ten boys and a popular girl on Cronulla Beach in December 2005. None of them really holds the spine of the play. While the first is the only one slick and well-timed, the other two are severely crumbling in the narrative. With that - what the actors do on the stage from the moment of appearance is hilarious, contentious with laughter and booming with the joy to perform. The singing, charismatic dance sequences, and their polished partnership are well above average. With that, the absurd situations they act out are not really the focus of a watcher. Just observing this excellent team is greatly entertaining.

While it is stated that the play is to focus on homophobia, it seems that, since 2005, the time has washed off the urgency of this meaning, highlighting something different. The first part is a good parody of the corporate business relationships with their absurdity and eagerness to climb the career ladder. Flattering and emotional support for the management proposing nonsense is roughly ten times too much. The inner-family hidden abuse sticks out in the second bit, and bullying emerges as the main subject in the last beach scene.

With that, the season is sold out. And I believe the credit goes to the five actors and the director, who have built a perfect team. Andrew Fraser’s proficiency in dancing and weightless and gracious (though none of the performers has a ballerina’s appearance) movement across the entire stage space; Emma Kew’s excellent comedy performance of a manager who seems to be made out of sharp angles; Esha Jessy’s transition between anxious, clumsy, too talkative customer service employer to a guy who can hardly say several words in a raw, but making the audience genuinely laugh at each change of facial expression; Pierse Cant switching from a dumb security manager to an easy going and a bit too open-minded Asia-loving “European” backpacker; Evelina Singh’ pragmatical cleaner changing to a certainly traumatised young woman trying hard to be straight-up and always outstanding, and then to a flirty, heavily and successfully controlling, hot school girl.

For some reason, I can see this ensemble doing something like Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, built on their mutual chemistry, excellent sense of humor and perfect inter-connection. With Lily Hayman as a director, who is obviously capable of navigating a mountain of text focusing on keeping tension and pace (when the text allows to do so), that would be a treat.