Holy Hell is a well put together production that allows the performers to shine but rapidly falls into a cliché riddled underdeveloped work that feels akin to a high school drama assignment than a fully realised theatrical piece.Cat and Mish find themselves at one of life’s many junctures – unsure of where they are headed and what to do next with their lives, they decide to let fate guide them and take a trip… an acid induced trip. Soon a simple evening of exploitative drug taking turns into a mad cap whirlwind of unanswered questions and shocking revelations.
Playwright Bianca Watkins touches on an array of intriguing topics and issues but the work never quite delves deeper than surface level. The dialogue and characters feel well explored and grounded but the script lacks a subtext, leaving structure and form baseless and hollow.
Dakotah Love’s direction breathes comedic life into the work, with the characters just teetering on the edge of over the top, infused with an almost slap stick staging, that keeps the script moving and paves over the many bumps in the text. Using moments of movement, Love infuses the production with the hedonism of youth and the uncertainly of a future yet to be determined.
The cast of Stephanie Somerville, Courtney Ally Miller, Owen Hasluck and Riley Thomas are outstanding – each brilliantly capturing their character’s quirks while adding the vulnerability and depth needed to keep the audience engaged.
Fin Hogan’s sound design and Izzy Morrissey’s lighting are the true standouts of this work, forming a symbiotic relationship that keeps the work moving and adds the much needed lift that elevates the production with a much needed dramaturgical undertone.
Old Fitz’s Late Night slot of a perfect outing for this work – a space to test out what works and doesn’t, using the audience to gage the changes needed and the way a work lands. Holy Hell however felt a little too early in its development to be fully realised on the stage but it still had the bones to flesh out the narrative and return with a more focused execution.
Holy Hell
Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo (Sydney)
Performance: Thursday 16 July 2026
Season continues to 24 July 2026
Information and Bookings: www.oldfitztheatre.com.au
Images: Bloodline Productions presents Holy Hell – photos by Nick Warrand
Review: Gavin Roach