The Last Parma Night, at Chapel Off Chapel

I entered the theatre really wanting to like the new Australian comedy The Last Parma Night, but I am afraid I didn’t even get close to doing so.

In fact, I struggled greatly with it.

It suffered from a slow start and, in my eyes, it never gained a foothold.

The storyline concerns a bloke, Tommy Gibson (Max Meaden) and his mates who, from their school days, used to frequent a pub known as The Unruly Maiden.

Now, all these years later, he is back there, trying to relive his glory days.

There were the boys, Harry Princemont (Alex Stock), Ollie Carter (Ryan Toft) and Jack Hiddleton (Sam McLoughlan).

Then you had Harry’s girlfriend, Maia (Lilly Betts), whom Tommy had designs on, and the officious barmaid, Magda (Sue Rosenwax). 

That is not to overlook the inveterate pokies’ player and heavy drinker, Mr Punter (Phil Lambert).

As the play goes down, Tommy, now all grown up, is haunted by the ghosts of the past, as he loses his grip on reality.

I found the dialogue difficult to make out due to the strong background sound of patrons in the bar, which was overwhelming. In other words, the sound mix was wrong.

And, frankly, when I did understand bits and pieces, I found the whole thing quite vacuous.

In short, I felt the play lacked substance and didn’t hold my interest.

The 100 minutes it ran for was a real stretch because I didn’t find it funny or clever.

Director Will Nash desperately needed to tighten proceedings.

I wasn’t sold on the performances either. I found one, in particular, extremely forced – artificial … lacking authenticity or naturalism.

The best moment came when Phil Lambert assumed a salutary role. Pity that was only short lived.

The strength in this production lay in Max Meaden’s set design (he is also the writer), which established the environment.

But, as far as I am a concerned, The Last Parma Night needed a rewrite and a dramaturg.

As it is, I can’t in good conscience recommend it.

I can only hope that Meaden revisits it with the hope of bringing it back stronger.

It is playing at Chapel Off Chapel until 10^th May, 2026.