Arriving with plenty of wit and a sting in its tail, Nicola Watson’s Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt, currently playing at La Mama HQ, is an entertaining and quietly unsettling evening of thought provoking theatre.
Directed with a confident touch by Anne Browning, this dark comedy wastes no time drawing the audience into its deceptively familiar premise: three old friends escaping to an isolated bushland Airbnb for a weekend of indulgence and reconnection.
What begins as a picture of curated comfort, fine wine, slow cooking, self-care rituals, quickly tilts into something far more uneasy as an encroaching storm (both literal and metaphorical) raises the question: who, exactly, is being left outside?
Watson’s script, shortlisted for the Patrick White Playwrights Award (2023), is razor-sharp in its observations, gleefully skewering the contradictions of modern privilege, that stages a high-speed collision between moral posturing and the comforts of contemporary life. The play provokes as much as it entertains, asking its audience to interrogate not just what they believe, but how they live.
The performances are uniformly excellent. Alex Aldrich (April), Tess Masters (May), and Rebecca Bower (June) bring a natural, lived-in chemistry to their roles, capturing the rhythms of long-standing friendship with warmth and precision.
Each performer deftly navigates the tonal shifts between comedy and discomfort, revealing the fissures beneath the surface. Rosie Traynor adds an intriguing, slightly uncanny presence (whether or not she is the titular Jana Wendt), becomes part of the play’s sly, unsettling game.
Visually, the production is beautifully realised. Bianca Pardo’s set and costumes evoke a kind of curated rustic luxury, perfectly framing the characters’ world. Tom Vulcan’s lighting design subtly shifts the mood as tension builds, while Jack Burmeister’s atmospheric soundscape underscores the growing sense of unease.
What makes Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt so compelling is its balance: it is genuinely funny, frequently biting, and yet deeply reflective. It invites laughter (often at recognisable behaviours), before gently turning that laughter back on the audience. Beneath the humour lies a probing exploration of socio-economic inequality and the stories we tell ourselves about care, responsibility, and worth.
Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt is a smart, stylish, and sharply observed play. One that quietly challenges its audience to sit with discomfort and reconsider where they stand.
Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt
La Mama HQ, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton
Performance: Thursday 9 April 2026
Season continues to 30 April 2026*
Information and Bookings: www.lamama.com.au
Image: Tess Masters, Rebecca Bower and Alex Aldrich – photo by Darren Gill | Alex Aldrich and Tess Masters – photo by Darren Gill | Rebecca Bower and Alex Aldrich – photo by Darren Gill
Review: Rohan Shearn
Note: * additional performances have been added due to demand