Sydney Reviews

Hansard is a written record of parliamentary proceedings, and The Handsard Monologues is a play based on these records. Three years of government has been edited, fine-tuned and refined into this excellent script by Katie Pollock and Paul Daley. As you leave the theatre you mull over what you have heard and a small shiver goes down your spine as you realise what you heard was real.

Indeed the content of The Hansard Monologues would be hilarious if it was fiction. But the terrifying thing is that this is not make-believe. These are real conversations, statements and responses that our elected representatives have made. The sad thing is that there are moments of true leadership and compassion in the discourse but they are drowned out by a tide of the ridiculous, outlandish and at times offensive, noise.

The cast consists of four actors who take it in turns to portray politicians of all parties. It is a hard task to keep track of the identities of the speakers despite photos and names being displayed on a screen behind them. It is a fast paced revolving door of speeches and it can be distracting as your brain is constantly trying to connect the voices to faces and keep track of the context in which these words are spoken in  Racism, terrorism, climate change, marriage equality, dodgy travel expenses and many other subjects are all covered  It is overwhelming at times.

Heather Mitchell’s entrance is astounding. She embodies her character so convincingly and it is a beautiful mixture of fun and fear as you watch and wait for her first words. But that is only the beginning of Mitchell’s powerful performance. Despite being the only character who is visibly and purposefully dressed and identified as a particular politician she still takes on other roles in an instant. She pulls a veil over your eyes with her words and manages to persuade you that she is each and every one of the politicians in her script. She is a true chameleon and a master to watch on the stage. 

Andrew Tighe, John Gaden and Michelle Doake are all extraordinarily adaptable dipping and weaving from one politician to another. Each actor takes on the voices of both male and female politician’s.They bring the world that we presume is so high and mighty to earth with a shattering clarity of dialogue. This is not a just theatre experience it is a daunting revelation.

It should not be missed. We should all watch this. This is democracy at work. These are people we have elected. Some of them act like children in a school yard when they think no one is looking. Others are voices in the wilderness.


The Hansard Monologues: Age of Entitlement
by Katie Pollock and Paul Daley

Directed by Timothy Jones

Venue: York Theatre | Seymour Centre, Corner of City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale NSW
Dates: 5 – 13 August 2016
Tickets: $45 – $36
Bookings: www.seymourcentre.com | (02) 9351 7940


ALSO Touring
Glen Street Theatre | 28 – 31 July 2016
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre | 17 – 20 August 2016
The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House | 26 – 28 August 2016