Belvoir St Theatre’s haunting and poetic staging of Grief Is The Thing With Feathers is a remarkable achievement – both visually arresting and viscerally raw.
The play follows a London widower, a literary author whose focus is the poet, Ted Hughes. He is struggling to cope and care for his two young sons following the death of his wife. One night, the mythical Crow – come to life from Hughes’ ‘Crow’ poems – arrives uninvited with a bang at the door and a slew of feathers, come to shepherd the family through their mourning.
Toby Schmitz in dual roles
Adapted from Max Porter’s acclaimed 2015 novel of the same name, this production plunges headfirst into a tangled web of loss, memory, and survival, anchored by a spellbinding, virtuosic performance by Toby Schmitz as both Dad and Crow.
Schmitz (who also co-adapted the work for the stage) shifts with ease from crumpled, grieving father to the otherworldly, chaotic Crow – representing the nature of grief itself as mess, contradiction and emotional truth.
As Dad, his moments of physical loss hit hard in lines like, “I want to be held!” and with poignant determination: “I WILL stop finding her hair; I WILL stop hearing her breathing.” His Crow, played as a kind of cheeky chappie sounding unnervingly like Ricky Gervais, is benevolent and malevolent in equal measure, an unpredictable guardian who declares to Dad: “I won’t leave until you don’t need me anymore” but also as the dark, trickster force of grief, who prods and torments the family as much as he protects.
Visual layers
Craig Wilkinson’s and Jon Webber’s visual design is mesmerising. Black, white, and grey projections flicker behind the performers, creating a stark, dreamlike world that mirrors the family’s emotional landscape. From flickering memories to ominous silhouettes, the backdrop serves not just as scenery but as an extension of the story itself.
Live cellist Freya Schack-Arnott adds yet another layer, her score ebbing and swelling with the characters’ psychological arcs.
As the young actors playing the Boys, Philip Lynch and Fraser Morrison bring sharp energy and authentic emotion to their roles. Lynch’s ability to embody the emotions and body language of a young boy is particularly extraordinary.
Directed by Simon Phillips, ‘Grief Is The Thing With Feathers’ is a deeply internal story, made outwardly dynamic by a clever staging that blends monologue, surrealism, and physical theatre. A meditation on mourning but also a celebration of resilience, this play is vivid, moving, and unforgettable.
‘Grief Is The Thing With Feathers’
Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney
Until 24 August, 2025
belvoir.com.au
Photography Credit: Brett Boardman.
