Type – Theatre, First Nations Culture
If you liked – White Fella Yella Tree, The Visitors, Stolen
Bennelong In London: A sharp look at legacy on colonised lands
Penned by Jane Harrison, whose last play for Sydney Theatre Company, The Visitors, has gone on to tour the Australia to critical acclaim, her new work Bennelong in London looks at the complexity of playing and portraying historical figures. Harrison must be applauded for acknowledging the more problematic elements of the titular character’s story, as well as the forensic nature with which she has looked into and dissected how history is often written by the colonisers. While the first 30 minutes of the play struggle to find their rhythm, once settled, the piece is a truly enthralling work of theatre.
Set in the Parramatta, Bennelong in London takes a tilted look at the life of a celebrated, yet complex Wangal man Woollarawarre Bennelong, and an actor’s desire to potray culture with authenticity – weighed against his capacity to play him – in a soon-to-be-staged one-man show in the city.
Ian Michael helms the creative team as the show’s director, and his vision has foraged through Harrison’s script for all its theatrical gems. Emma White’s production design feels beautiful, nestled between both timelines and cultures, and along with Trent Suidgeest’s luxuriant lighting design, the piece never feels trapped within the venue, and easily shifts between the worlds with simple textural and atmospheric clues.
A particularly hard-hitting moment is when the ‘actor’ (Guy Simon) acknowledges the ‘playwright’s’ attempt to seek permission to tell the story, only to find out there ‘are no Wangal people left’ to grant it. The pain of this is further amplified by seeing Bennelong (Googoorewon Knox) be confronted with the knowledge of his people’s fate.
Simon is joyous as the aspiring ‘unnamed actor’. The audience relishes his Sydney-centric naivety and cultural growth, particularly as he jumps through a dozen or more characters charmingly and seamlessly throughout. Against him, Knox as Bennelong, starts the piece feeling a little out of place, more so than his character’s apparition in the story, but as the piece navigates Harrison’s rich and historically heavy script, Knox blends into the narrative seamlessly. He is particularly electrifying when stepping into the ‘songman’ elements of Bennelong’s story. There is something both earthly and ethereal in the music that grips onto your soul.
The final moment of the play soars, as Simon fully captures the spirit of Bennelong, and gives the final monologue we first saw him poorly attempt as a ‘self-tape’ at the top of the show, against a backdrop of the Samuel Neele portrait of Bennelong, and the silhouette portrait of ‘Sebastian’, the teenage First Nations person taken to London as well, only to die shortly after. Now, he is an historical representative of the dispossessed knowledge of First Nations communities across this nation.
Is Bennelong in London Worth Seeing in Sydney?
This is a piece of First Nations storytelling that should be considered a must-see, particularly as it shines a harsh light on the stories we have ‘left’, and in doing so illuminates the thousands lost to colonisation. The moments where the piece skews a little too meta or the pace falters are far outweighed by Simon’s performance in the final moments. The result is a genuinely satisfying evening in the theatre.
Tickets and Practical Info for Bennelong in London in Sydney 🎟️
Sydney Theatre Company
Wharf 1 (Ta’ra, Gadigal)
Until August 16
Tickets: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/2026/productions/bennelong-in-london
Playwright Jane Harrison
Director Ian Michael
Designer Emma White
Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest
Composer & Sound Designer James Peter Brown
Cultural Advisor Matthew Doyle
Dramaturg Jules Orcullo
Fight Director Tim Dashwood
Voice & Text Director Charmian Gradwell
Marketing image Holly Ward
