Game. Set. Match., at Malthouse Theatre

Megan Wilding is a force of nature in a serious contender for play of the year.

Game. Set. Match. is a dark comedy with a confronting sting in its tail and Wilding is both the writer (her first time for the main stage) and one of two outstanding performers.

Photos by Gianna Rizzo

She plays 27-year-old Yarrai, while Rick Davies is cast as Joshua, 38.

We are introduced to the pair as Joshua surprises Yarrai when he enters a space filled with tennis memorabilia.

He is there to pay his respects to Betty Hughes, featured in a framed photo, who has just passed. 

Back in her day, she was a fine exponent of the game – a tennis champion.

It turns out that even though he says he can’t stand tennis, Joshua is chief financial officer of a foundation to encourage children to play the game, named after Hughes.

But Yarrai, who is a cleaner of Aboriginal heritage, is at first mighty fearful of Joshua and his motives for being there.

He tries to allay her concerns by blurting out that he isn’t there to rape her, which she finds a strange thing to say. 

Still, as they get to know each other a little better, Joshua is increasingly drawn to Yarrai and she to him.

She is smart and witty. He loves the way her brain works and is hot to trot.

He invites her out for a drink and then it is back to her place, where matters between them escalate.

Suffice to say, his sexual kink is as “a dom”, while she is into role play. 

I have deliberately taken a circumspect approach to explaining the storyline because I want you to experience the joy and shocks in Game. Set. Match. without knowing too much.

I assure you that it will be better that way.

I can’t remember too many times when I have been caught more unaware by a script, but there you have it.

Game. Set. Match. is brilliantly composed and executed. It is a special piece of work because it is so clever and confronting.

In large part that has to do with not only the words on the page so skilfully delivered, but in the sense of timing that accompanies the verbiage.

As Yarrai, Megan Wilding makes the running and Rick Davies, as Joshua, is putty in her hands.

There is a great deal of gamesmanship in play here, but much more besides.

Together, Wilding and Davies are utterly captivating. 

I was heavily invested in the journey they took us on from the astonishing opening, yearning to learn more.

Crucially, we are drip fed more and more home truths (and lies) as the play unfolds and this is where I really need to tip my hat to Wilding again.

She has a phenomenal turn of phrase.

I loved the set and costume design by Isla Shaw.

We see three set transitions during the production’s 90-minute running time. In other words, four sets in total, each highly evocative.

The costuming and its variations, too, are an important feature of Game. Set. Match.

From the sound of a lyrebird to up tempo music and more sinister notes, Rainbow Chan’s composition and sound design are highly illustrative.

Amelia Lever-Davidson’s creative lighting design completes a compelling picture. 

Director Jessica Arthur expertly weaves together all the threads to have us at 40-love in the blink of an eye, although, in truth, she is playing the long game.

What a revelation! Game. Set. Match. is an extraordinary theatrical achievement, beneath which lies a great deal of emotional turmoil.

Now seared into my consciousness, it is on at Beckett Theatre, at Malthouse Theatre, until 23^rd May, 2026. Do not miss it.