The Placeholder, at fortyfivedownstairs

A heartfelt drama about identity and belonging with comedic elements, The Placeholder takes place is a small regional town in 2017.

It is just months before the plebiscite on same sex marriage, in which all assembled will vote “Yes”.

You might recall that when the vote was taken, 61.6 per cent of Australians voted that way.

Photos by Darren Gill

The play focuses on a group of women, known as Barb’s Bosom Buddies, whose bond is fragile.

They gather regularly in the kitchen of an ageing woman whose best friend was Barb, who died of breast cancer a year ago.

Mind you, not one of their get togethers is without incident.

They are seemingly forever at odds and constantly bickering.

The action takes place over a two-year period.

So, to the combatants:

The home when they assemble is that of Patricia Quinlan (Meredith Rogers), who has not only lost Barb, but her husband.

She is a beloved figure – increasingly forgetful. The others fear that she is suffering early-stage dementia. 

Helen Sutherland (Michelle Perera) fusses over everyone. Kind-hearted, she seemingly likes to play mother hen, which can be wearing.

Keira Russell (Rebecca Bower) is an acerbic, masculine lesbian who drinks too much and has been in a same sex relationship for 19 years.

Joanna Horvath (Brigid Gallacher) is Barb’s quite buxom niece, who is apprehensively while awaiting the results of a breast examination.

Not afraid of calling a spade a spade, her choice of men – of which there never appears to be a shortage – leaves a lot to be desired.

And then there is 27-year-old, football loving Nic Larson (Oliver Ayers).

Everyone is expecting her to marry the love of her life, Jess Schneider (Alessandra Merlo).

But, it turns out that there is trouble in paradise. 

Nic shocks the group when she declares that she is intending to transition to a man.

That includes testosterone shots, an operation and, even, growing a moustache.

Much of the play is devoted to these women trying to understand why Nic has made the decision she has, with some more accepting than others.

Her move also puts Jess (who we only meet a significant way into the production) into a spin.

Incidentally, the title is drawn from an empty chair where Barb used to sit at the kitchen table.

Although featuring several strong performances and raising some important issues about understanding and acceptance, The Placeholder felt unnecessarily stretched.

There are only so many arguments I wanted to see and hear, and that element was overdone. Less would have been more.

It took too long to get to the bleeding heart of the play, being an understanding of why Nic was driven to do what she announced she would.

And I say that, notwithstanding revelations along the way from each of the others, which I did appreciate being drip fed. I thought that worked well.

Brigid Gallacher is a standout as the easily offended and vitriolic Joanna.

Michelle Perera comes across as oh so natural, while Rebecca Bower is strong as the butch Keira.

Talking of strength, I wanted to see more of that in Act I from Nic – which comes back to the writing by Ben MacEllen.

Fortunately, we do get that after the interval, which is also when Oliver Ayers comes into his own.

We were shortchanged by the lack of time spent with Nic’s partner, Jess, who I wanted to hear more from.

Set and costume designer Bethany J. Fellows has crafted evocative sets and costumes. 

The full kitchen, featuring a separate stained-glass window, is a throwback to a bygone era.

Some tightening by director Kitan Petkovski wouldn’t have gone astray.

So, while I unquestionably liked elements of The Placeholder, I wasn’t totally sold on this representation of the trans experience. 

In this case, 90 minutes, rather than two hours plus interval, would have been a better fit for me.

It is on at fortyfivedownstairs until 9^th February, 2026.