[THEATRE REVIEW] NEVER HAVE I EVER @ Fairfax Studio Review (2025)

If you have money, just how far are you prepared to go and at what price?

That is the question at the centre of the devilishly clever Never Have I Ever.

Bisexual Jacq (Katie Robertson) and Kas (Sunny S Walia) is a couple.

Together, they run a London restaurant named Masada, or at least they have for nearly two years.

But the cost-of-living crisis has found them out.

It is no longer viable and they have gone bankrupt.

Now they have the invidious job of telling one of their investors, namely sustainable hedge fund manager Tobin (Simon Gleeson).

A slightly older man, he was also a mentor to Adaego (Chika Ikogwe), who became a journalist, broadcaster and activist, and the pair married.

Tobin, who invested 125 thousand pounds in the boutique concept eatery, and Adaego are also Jacq and Kas’ friends.

When Jacq and Kas reveal the truth, Tobin takes the news well.

Effortlessly arrogant and entitled, he doesn’t appear the least bit concerned that his investment has gone up in smoke.

But he pushes Jacq’s button when he tells her he never expected it to succeed.

Thereafter begins a sparring match that involves racism, left wing politics, wokeness and much, much more.

The heat is turned up appreciably once the quartet starts and continues drinking and they begin a supposedly friendly game of Never Have I Ever.

That involves revealing what the name suggests, with the four making various pronouncements – never have I ever this and never have I ever that.

But there is one revelation Tobin simply cannot countenance and is determined to make the others pay, even though it happened more than a decade ago.

That is when money and morality clash and clash again and again.

Never Have I Ever is the brainchild of Brisbane-born, London-based comedian, podcaster and screenwriter Deborah Frances-White.

In it, she exposes and exploits human flaws in all their glory. The shocks, surprises and laughs, I should quickly add, just keep on coming.

Dirty dealings are afoot, as first one protagonist and then another, and another, and so on takes centre stage.

There is outrage and bombast aplenty as home truths are revealed in a wild ride, in which power shifts are plentiful.

The characters – decidedly different – are richly drawn and very well realised.

As Tobin, Simon Gleeson ponces about – gleefully self-absorbed – as if he owns the place. Tobin is the agent provocateur, who pushes buttons.

From working class stock, Jacq, as realised by Katie Robinson, is quite prepared to dish it out when she believes it is warranted.

As Adaego, Chika Ikogwe channels a woman who has been judged (I should say misjudged) all her life for the colour of her skin.

For the most part, Sunny S Walia plays measured immigrant Kas as confrontation averse, until a breakout scene when he stands up and all take notice.

An impressive, three tier set showcases the restaurant, including an upper entrance, small mezzanine area, kitchen in plain view, open seating plan and wine cellar.

Colourful and well-conceived, it makes a strong statement upon entry to the theatre and is the work of set and costume designer Zoe Rouse.

Director Tasnim Hossain almost gleefully builds tension in several Mount Vesuvius-like eruption scenes, a battle royale that continues through the whole of Act II.

Never Have I Ever is playing at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne until 22^nd March, 2025.

Review by Alex First Photography by Sarah Walker