Opening Night at the Ensemble Theatre was buzzing with Sydney’s theatre crowd, including the playwright himself, who seemed to be laughing along heartily throughout the performance.
A good omen for the audience.
A night to remember
At the centre of this play is Katie (Mandy Bishop), a woman of working-class roots from Sydney’s western suburbs who has married into the upper middle class and is desperate to ascend the city’s social hierarchy. Her ‘big break’ comes in the form of a dinner party she has orchestrated, featuring the city’s richest, most eminent art collectors, Charles and Catherine Mallory.
“I’ve pulled off a social coup for the ages!” Katie declares to her unimpressed husband Roger (Johnny Nasser). Adding to the tension, Katie has invited old friends Laura and Ben Gregory, whom she regards as socially inferior – Laura, a left-wing teacher, and Ben, a once-admired director now struggling to find work.
Comic timing & chemistry
The Mallorys arrive out of curiosity, with Catherine slightly intrigued by the possibility of recruiting Katie for her fundraising foundation, while billionaire businessman Charles lives by the motto, “You see a ladder, you climb it!” From the outset, it is clear that these three mismatched couples do not see eye to eye on a lot. After too much inferior wine (Roger forgot to buy the impressive stuff), the dinner party descends into chaos with social faux pas, unexpected revelations, Bollywood dancing, truth-telling and fisticuffs.
The six actors interact with chemistry and timing. Bishop excels as Katie, balancing studiously learned panache with desperation, anxiety and naked ambition as she navigates the night’s various disasters. Nasser is a delightfully exasperated Roger, with some impressive acrobatic flair, while Andrew McFarlane is the ever-debonair, calculating Charles. Sarah Chadwick brings dry wit as Catherine, Jo Downing is sharp as the politically minded Laura, and Matt Minto delivers understated humour as Ben.
Colour & class
Veronique Benett’s set is cleverly designed: the opening scenes are minimal, with just three hanging light fixtures symbolising Katie’s social ascent or perhaps the social standing of each of the couples (simple paper, elegant silver, over-the-top chandelier). It then blooms into a riot of colour for the doomed dinner party, complete with lavish furniture, multiple floral arrangements, a startling turquoise sideboard and Katie in the midst of it all in a try-hard puffy dress and lime-green heels.
Polish peels off
As the evening wears on, facades drop to the ground. “Fine dining can get so bloody boring,” admits Catherine after the planned gourmet dinner is ruined and takeaway pizzas are devoured. “I’ve made a pathetic clown of myself,” Katie inevitably laments, forced to drop all attempts to impress her guests after she is caught out in a major lie.
Although somewhat predictable, The Social Ladder, directed by Janine Watson, is a humorous, insightful comedy about class, ambition, and human vanity, and an enjoyable evening of theatre.
The Social Ladder
Ensemble Theatre, Sydney
Until 14 March, 2026
