The talent behind this Australian satire’s premiere suggests we’re in for a treat. It’s written by Ross Mueller, highly regarded for mainstage works such as Concussion and Construction of the Human Heart. The director is Peter Houghton, whose most recent success was Melbourne Theatre Company’s delightful production of The Heartbreak Choir earlier this year. The cast comprises three members of Red Stitch’s respected ensemble, and a guest who has been scooping awards for their comic cabarets lately. Unfortunately, after a promising first act, A Simple Act of Kindness becomes a farce that isn’t particularly funny or profound.

Khisraw Jones-Shukoor and Sarah Sutherland in A Simple Act of Kindness, Red Stitch, 2022. Photo © Jodie Hutchinson

It’s set in a small Melbourne apartment’s living space. Sophia convinces her father that this property is her entry into the real-estate market. Tony and his wife, Julie, are comfortably well off, so when Sophia says she’s engaged he agrees to make a substantial financial contribution. Her ‘fiance’, Greg, is actually a gay friend who only wants to be her investment partner/flatmate. A literal crack, symbolic of the tension between these four...