The Adelaide Insider

They say there are two sides to every story. State Theatre Company South Australia’s latest production of Commentary reminds us that there are also deleted scenes, questionable edits and someone desperately trying to control the director’s cut. Written by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Ash Flanders and directed by State Theatre Company South Australia’s Artistic Director Petra Kalive, Commentary is a deliciously prickly piece of theatre that knows exactly how to make an audience laugh before making them feel just a little bit uncomfortable about what they have laughed at. It takes aim at artistic ego, accountability, memory and the increasingly blurry line between public interest and public bloodsport, all while keeping us guessing about who is actually telling the truth.

At the centre of Commentary is Nick Atkinson, a filmmaker turned university lecturer whose biggest career success came more than 20 years ago. Nick and his best friend and filmmaking partner Hamish created Low, a film that won the prestigious Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival before its success was overshadowed by scandal. Hamish was later arrested for stalking and secretly photographing an underage girl, disturbingly echoing elements of the film itself, and Low quickly disappeared from public view. Fast-forward two decades and Low is being resurrected for a screening at the Adelaide Film Festival, with Nick asked to record a director’s commentary. Naturally, he sees this as his chance to finally tell everyone how it really happened. The only problem? The people from his past have memories of their own, and they are not necessarily sticking to Nick’s script.

Gyton Grantley is a sure standout as Nick, and there is something particularly enjoyable about watching a character slowly lose control of their own narrative. He initially comes across as charming, funny and seemingly likeable, however as the questions become more confronting and impossible to ignore, the charm starts to crack. Grantley gradually exposes Nick’s defensiveness, ego and remarkable ability to find a new explanation whenever the previous one stops holding up. The result is a wonderfully slippery performance that keeps us wondering whether Nick is an unreliable narrator because his memory has genuinely failed him, or because he has spent two decades becoming particularly good at rewriting history.

Fortunately, Nick has plenty of people around him who are willing to challenge his version of events. Anna Steen plays both Nick’s wife Mish and journalist Anna Whitehead. Kate Cheel tackles Saskia, the former underage star of Low now living the Hollywood dream, as well as Adelaide Film Festival director Clea. While Shardae Santos takes on Nick’s lover Gen and Hamish’s daughter Frankie. Together, they create a chorus of voices that question Nick’s memories, expose the gaps in his story and make it increasingly difficult for him to maintain control of the narrative. Their performances are an important reminder that there is always more than one side to a story.

Visually, Commentary is certainly one clever production. The storytelling jumps between recordings, interviews, phone calls, Zoom meetings and projected images, creating a fragmented world that feels perfectly suited to a story about competing versions of reality. Matilda Woodroofe’s set is angular, contemporary and impressively versatile, with parts of the design doubling as screens in a particularly effective piece of theatrical sleight of hand. The costume changes are seamless, which is no small feat given the ensemble cast being shuffled around the stage between multiple characters. Dan Thorpe and Matt Byrne’s sound and video work is so thoroughly integrated that it becomes part of the storytelling itself, whilst Nic Mollison’s lighting adds another layer to the shifting moods and perspectives, helping the production move between its various worlds with real pace. It is the sort of backstage creative work that could easily go unnoticed because it all works so well, but there is clearly an enormous amount of craft behind what looks effortless on stage.

There is a lot to chew over in Commentary, but thankfully Flanders does not make us swallow it without a laugh. The play takes a sharp look at artistic ethics, accountability, cancel culture and our modern obsession with dissecting other people’s scandals, while also asking some genuinely uncomfortable questions about whether art can ever be separated from the people who make it. Ash Flanders’ writing is sharp enough to draw blood, while Petra Kalive’s assured direction keeps the production moving with confidence, humour and plenty of uncomfortable tension. What makes Commentary particularly compelling is that it never tells us exactly what to think. Instead, it leaves us sifting through the conflicting accounts and wondering whose version of events we believe. And in a story where everyone seems to have their own carefully curated edit, perhaps the biggest question is whether there was ever a definitive version in the first place.

Commentary
Dates: Friday 21 August – Saturday 5 September 2026
Location: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide SA 5000
Rating: ★★★★½