Cover Image: Sally-Anne Upton as Carol, reflecting on the pressures of holding a family together. Photo: Daniel J Grant.

CAROL by Andrea Gibbs
Until 14 Dec, Heath Ledger Theatre
1 hour 30 mins (no interval)

‘Tis the season to be … homeless? A Christmas jingle with not quite the right ring to it, but Andrea Gibbs’ play Carol is a spirited offering that celebrates the good while hinting at cracks in the Aussie Dream.

This musical-cum-panto-cum-chaotic-romp through a family Christmas is centred on the aptly named Carol, one of those cheerful older women who’s always there to lend a hand. Except nobody’s noticed she’s struggling, the bills piling up and the bailiff homing in on her house. ‘Nobody’ includes Carol’s own family, because, well, mums just carry on looking after everyone else don’t they? Especially on Christmas Day, even if it happens to be Carol’s birthday.

Two gems in this Yuletide story are Sally-Anne Upton’s portrayal of Carol, and Gibbs’ lively writing. The playwright proved her talent for Australian vernacular in her first play for Black Swan,  Barracking for the Umpire, a poignantly funny portrait of footy fervour and the head knocks that leave a sobering legacy.

Gibbs seems to have written Carol in overdrive – you sense at times the performers struggle to squeeze the punchlines in between frenzied action. But then Christmas Day family gatherings are often – to borrow Gibbs’ phrase – a “full-blown cluster fuck”. You look forward to attending all year yet soon long to leave after the umpteenth dad joke.

At the heart of the chaos is steady Carol, the matriarch who cooks the turkey, dresses the tree and adds tinsel to everything while lost in the martyrdom of motherhood. As Carol, Upton is quite simply superb – a veteran TV actor (Juicy Lucy in the award-winning series Wentworth and the hilarious Vera Punt in Neighbours), Upton knows when to hold back on the gags. 

Her brilliant delivery of Carol’s ‘everywoman’ monologue halfway through the show (“I can be quiet, I can be small”) is alone worth the price of admission, and you could hear a pin drop. The monologue is one of Gibbs’ best pieces of writing so far. 

As for the rest of the play, Carol has many traits of a family Christmas – noisy and over-stuffed with antics.  Bruce McKinven’s set and costumes are cleverly designed to be downright daggy, while musical director Jackson Harper Griggs deftly conjures up a touch of ‘Love Actually’ sentiment alongside panto-like ditties such as ‘Dean’s Got the Ice’ and ‘Ode to Doug’.  

Mark Storen is hilarious as ‘Sack Daddy’ Santa, the show’s unlikely ringleader who joins his tinsel-clad musician mates (Harper Griggs and Isaac Diamond) on the sidelines to sing. 

Ruby Henaway shows comic flair in her various roles, including a memorable cameo as weight-lifting depressive Jamie, while Bruce Denny and Isaac Diamond double nimbly as relatives, Carol’s mechanic, even elves. And director Adam Mitchell imposes just enough control over the festivities to keep it on track.   

Carol is genuine, big-hearted and fun, just the tonic for what, for some, may have been a difficult year. As we streamed out, an older man was smiling. He said he came alone to the theatre. “I don’t have anyone to bring – my wife passed away four years ago.” He shrugged. “Life’s like that.”

Carol is showing at Heath Ledger Theatre until the 14th December. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit:
https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2025/carol