Above: Tom Kelly as Corgan. Photo: David Little.
The dust has barely settled on Little Stormy Productions’ debut offering – the premiere of Les Solomon’s God’s Cowboy at Flight Path Theatre and the company is already back with more of its signature raw storytelling. In this, the sunset period of the 2026 Mardi Gras, Sydney continues to be spoiled for choice as it sobers up post festival with brutally honest queer survival stories on offer.
Not far from the busy Qtopia precinct, people are experiencing S.Asher Gelman’s Afterglow in all its candid, confronting glory. Little Stormy Productions has moved into Qtopia’s Substation venue, a fine, intimate hub for bold expression, plus an instant favourite for anyone experiencing its subterranean charm.
These hard-working new kids on Sydney’s theatrical block have chosen a sassy modern classic with which to speak so directly to us for the second time before Easter. Multi -award winning two-hander Fag/Stag has followed up its original success in 2015 and at the Edinburgh Festival with several Australia productions, including 2018 and 2021 in Sydney. (Griffin Theatre and El Rocco/Giant Dwarf).
The essence of this powerful string of vignettes is an exploration of masculinity, in all its charming, good and very bad glory. It requires solid chemistry, joy, erratic energy shifts and savage contrasts in the snippets of re-enactments and freight train-esque narrative emerging from the dark tunnels of these two protagonists.
Above: Tom Kelly as Corgan and Nathaniel Savy as Jimmy. Photo: David Little.
Corgan (Tom Kelly) is straight. Jimmy (Nathaniel Savy) is fresh out of a break-up with Tim. Tamara, Corgan’s ex, is getting married to Jack. Jimmy kissed Tamara during a pre-gay romance. Corgan and Jimmy meet throughout the play to play two-man Donkey Kong but are stuck on the same level. But this is not the only painful stasis the pair endure in suffocatingly small Perth.
Sounds like a bust network to watch post partying and pride this March? You bet. Buckle up, this is quite a ride. As the two actors here boldly dish out the banter of best friends, the mess of loss and impulsiveness sadness can ignite, they endear themselves to us and to the plight of fixing the damage relationships do.
Significant craft and sensitivity is on display here, and the firecracker script by Jeffrey Jay fowler and Jay Isaacs is duly showcased. As scenes and feelings are vividly described in compellng present tense, the boys’ shifts in control, coping and fifty shades of loneliness entertain then turn on a five cent piece to chill us to the bone. Stereotypes are savagely stretched, plus predicament is painted with a huge range of measured pace and nuance.
Above: Corgan (Tom Kelly) and Jimmy (Nathaniel Savy) play Donkey Kong. Photo: David Little.
Experienced director Les Solomon has wonderful resources with which to work here. Musicians, singers and ‘straight’ play triple threat cast members Kelly and Savy show brilliant comic and tragi-comic timing. Their characters are chiselled with subtlety and stereotypes are presented then made as pliable as plasticene.
Particularly layered was Tom Kelly’s portrayal of the stag in this male ‘fag hag’ portrait. A whole heap of disguised hurt and confusion simmers with vernacular defence mechanisms, blokey references to ‘the boys’ but obvious regard and reliance on his gutsy gay gaming mate. Mesmerisingly slow train-wreck scenes are hard-to-watch, perhaps too familiar and colourful in the hands of this actor. His morphing into other characters in the brief descriptions of retelling of scenes is expert.
Nathaniel Savy delivers a savvy, wise Jimmy with almost-cliche fag profiling, youthful energy. His darting across the stage, through fights with the troubled Corgan, across heartbreak, and his return to this left of centre mateship that shouldn’t work in Perth or anywhere wins hearts and encourages caring. It is a commendable piece of characterisation that works in so well with Kelly’s rendering of his opposites-attract.
Above: Nathaniel Savy as Jimmy and Tom Kelly as Corgan. Photo: David Little.
Topics covered here do include marriage, drinking, NSA hook-ups, club culture, self-harm, drug use , Grindr use and courage. Warning: these will be well done, with integrity and honesty when you catch this Australian classic.
Maintaining relationships and a self worth on whatever side of the gender, sexuality, self-confidence fence you are on gets hard. Don’t worry – this cast, this cracker play (which I’ve been lucky to see in 2018 and 2026 now) have got you. They will take you dynamically through the troubles and leave you loving their joy and integrity at the bumpy journey’s end.
Life gets a little stormy. It happens a lot. Little Stormy Productions continue to serve up well-chosen stories to demonstrate this. They are attracting capable casts in effective venues. This latest communication of theirs once more celebrates human rather than just queer qualities and this inclusive brand is needed in the queer community and on our local theatre scene.
