Театральное общество UNSW блестяще поставило сатиру на полицейскую коррупцию и токсичную маскулинность в постановке «Перевозчики»

Content warning: This review contains discussions of domestic violence. The Removalists is a giant of Australian theatre, and an absolute monster of a production to tackle, yet UNSW’s Theatre Society (NUTS) production of the play did not disappoint. Despite the play’s approaching 55-year anniversary, The Removalists’ satirical depiction of police corruption and misogyny has never resonated more, considering the emergence of red pill content, the manosphere, and continued police brutality in 2026. The play follows an incident of domestic violence, where sisters Fiona (Ines S.L) and Kate (Susannah P.) seek help from police officer Simmonds (Edward Joseph), and his trainee, Ross (Jack Batchelor), and request a police report. The two policemen instead, organise a removalist (Finn Sargeant) to assist Fiona’s separation from her husband. As the apartment set is slowly disassembled, the scene is laid bare. The body of masculinity is stripped to its bones, and serious violence emerges from the guise of satire. Audiences were left with an ominous warning of the behaviour that fuels toxic masculinity and corruption. NUTS’ production directed by Bora Celebi, elevated Williamson’s writing to a new height. The NUTS cast tread a fine line, exaggerating the satire, but maintaining the play’s plot definition. They kept the comedy distinct through a maintained realism of characters recognisable to the audience. The result was outstanding and had the small studio audience roaring with the laughter of a sold out theatre. Edward Joseph’s Simmonds offered a compelling depiction of the imperative misogynist, commanding all other characters with the assertive confidence only afforded to a man of his status. Moments of ineptitude seeped from his bravado of male dominance — most notably in a scene where he slowly operated his laptop, typing heavily with the pointer finger of each hand. It was the shocking ridiculousness of Simmonds’ performance that demanded the most laughter. The second act became a crucible of masculine assertion. The ensemble pottered around the stage with heavy furniture in a meticulously timed mess that can only be attributed to director, Celebi. Lola Kate Carlton as Kenny was a wonder, and Finn Sargeant as the Removalist demanded laughter the second he stepped on stage. His performance infused a humorous brilliance into the titular Removalist, symbolic of Australian indifference towards violence. Despite the play’s withstanding relevance in 2026, at times, edits to the script felt both arbitrary and anachronistic. Set pieces and costuming connoted a 1970s setting, whilst the script was edited to include “Netflix”, which is to be expected when a script is modernised, but risked taking away from the performance. Overall, the cast and crew from NUTS should be commended for their fantastic run.