In The Placeholder, Ben MacEllen delivers a heartfelt kitchen-sink drama set in a regional town, exploring friendship, identity, and the realities of life within a tight-knit group of women. As they navigate the death of a friend and the transitioning of another, the characters grapple with love, loss, and change - all unfolding in the intimate space of Pat’s kitchen. The production combines humour, emotional depth, and quiet poignancy, capturing the joys, conflicts, and complexities of relationships as they play out in this well-worn domestic setting.
MacEllen has crafted a very personal narrative, full of drama and heart. While the show centres on Nic’s transitioning, we also witness cancer battles, marriages, separations, funerals, and other surprises, yet it is never overstuffed. MacEllen features plenty of discussions on LGBTQ+ issues like marriage equality and transgender experiences, but it does not come across like an overt lesson. Instead, we are made privy to these unfolding naturally within Pat’s household.
The structure allows us to follow Nic from the moment he makes his announcement through the various phases of his transition, charting not just the physical or social shifts, but the changing dynamics within the group. Each brings a different response, from support and curiosity to resistance and discomfort, and McEllen gives space to those reactions without flattening them. The play frames transition as an ongoing process rather than a single turning point, shaped as much by the community as by individual.
There are a few threads that could have used more closure, including Pat’s ‘forgetfulness’, which is raised in the first act but isn’t mentioned at all in the second half. There are also instances where the passage of time is a little unclear, but fortunately it doesn’t detract from the overall plot.
Kitan Petkovski’s direction is well-paced and attentive to the closeness between the characters. Years - even decades - of history is evident in how they speak to each other, how they touch each other, and how they inhabit the physical space of the kitchen. He brings the ensemble to life, balancing humour and tenderness in a way that makes this room feel like the pulse of their world.
Michelle Perera is a scene-stealer as Helen, the open-minded and fiercely supportive friend. While everyone else is consumed by their own dramas, Helen remains a constant source of warmth and reassurance, and perhaps just a little enthusiastically overbearing. This is a woman whose friends mean everything to her. There’s an authenticity to Helen in the way she interacts with those around her, which comes through in Perera’s impeccable comic timing. Whether she’s casually researching phalloplasty on her iPhone or shamelessly eavesdropping as she repairs a cabinet drawer, Perera’s responses are organic, grounded, and perfectly attuned to the escalating event.
Rebecca Bower is also well cast as Keira, whose biting sarcasm and readiness to dig into others initially define her. As the play progresses, those layers gradually fall away, giving Bower the opportunity to focus on Keira’s vulnerability and emotional state. Every town needs its villain, and in The Placeholder, Brigid Gallacher comes out swinging as Joanna, a heterosexual woman with strong opinions about Nic’s transitioning. Gallacher’s performance is cutting and unapologetically blunt, her disapproval landing with deliberate force.
Rounding out the Bosom Buddies is Meredith Rogers as Patricia, the matriarch of the group who hosts the monthly catch-up and carries a few secrets of her own. Rogers gives a committed depiction, but there are moments where the character appears slightly restrained, and some line deliveries are missing the natural ease seen elsewhere in the ensemble.
The entire story develops in Pat’s kitchen, a room where people gather, share food, gossip, argue, and reconcile, generally without a public display. By setting it here, the production anchors the discourse about gender, transition and identity in the everyday, reminding us that these aren’t abstract debates or “big ideas”, but lived realities that build over cups of tea and half-finished tasks. Bethany J. Fellows’ set design complements this beautifully, presenting a well-used, familiar kitchen that creates a tangible sense of intimacy among the group.
The Placeholder finds its strength in the ordinary, locating meaning in shared routines and hard conversations. The cast operates with a strong sense of cohesion, supported by a thoughtfully realised environment and a guiding hand that trusts the material to speak for itself. What emerges is a piece that is quietly resonant that offers reflection, humour, and moments of recognition. In centring empathy, recognition, and care, The Placeholder underscores the quiet necessity of meeting people where they are, and choosing understanding over resistance.
Click here to read our interview with writer Ben MacEllen.
Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season: until 8 Feb | Tues - Sat 7:30pm, Sun 5pm
Duration: 130 minutes
Tickets: $45 Full | $39 Conc
Bookings: Midsumma Festival
Image credit: Darren Gillis
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