For all its public carnality, Green Park, the play, might strike some as a little old-fashioned.

Why, in the middle of Australia’s largest metropolis, in 2021, is this man, saddled with guilt and shame and fear, seeking anonymous same-sex gratification from so deep within the closet? Why is this other man, a boy really, who flung open the closet door as a pre-pubescent, afforded more freedom and equality than any generation in history, seeking sex almost as punishment, drugged and dangerous and seemingly intent on self-destruction?

Steve Le Marquand and Joseph Althouse in Green Park. Photograph © Brett Boardman

But that’s the big lie: these men aren’t old-fashioned at all. If you’ve ever spent any time trawling through a gay hook-up app you’ll know these men are very much of the here and now. Trust me. You know them, even if you don’t know them in this environment.

What good is marriage equality to Warren, a buttoned-up 50-something family man visiting from rural parts, who followed the only path that seemed possible – a girlfriend, a wife, kids and a steady job to provide for them all? He loves his wife, he’d do anything for...