[THEATRE REVIEW] RBG: OF MANY, ONE @ The Arts Centre Melbourne Review (2025)
Stunning. Brilliant. Remarkable.
Heather Mitchell’s portrayal of US Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of the most extraordinary performances I have seen in three decades of reviewing.
RBG: Of Many, One is the gold standard in how to attract, retain and mesmerise an audience … to have the crowd hanging on your every word.
It is Heather Mitchell on stage with just a handful of props – no break, save for a few quick blackouts, for 95 minutes.
That makes her scintillating monologue even more special.
Of course, none of this would be possible without superbly crafted, intelligent and insightful writing. The person we need to thank for that is Suzie Miller.
Her perceptive turn of phrase is hardly unfamiliar, having previously excelled and intoxicated with Prima Facie.
And putting RBG: Of Many, One together, creating such a memorable, must see production is director Priscilla Jackman.
So, there we have the trifecta – star, writer and director.
Mitchell all but transforms into Ruth Bader Ginsburg in an inspired showing.
What the former does particularly well is transition back and forth from one timeframe and event in RBG’s life to another, without missing a beat.
One moment, she could be anxiously awaiting a phone call to advise her whether her nomination to the Supreme Court has been authorised by the President.
The next she is attending her first opera on her 16th birthday, and then back to the anticipation.
As Ginsburg, Mitchell runs through the former’s life cycle.
She deals with RBG’s personal life, her upbringing, courtship, children and grandchildren.
We learn about the untimely death of her elder sister at a young age and the beloved relationship she had with her mother.
She often addresses the unmistakable bond with the love of her life, her husband, Marty.
Dedicated, determined and diligent, Ginsburg becomes a fierce advocate for fairness, equality and women’s rights.
But getting a foothold in the law was no easy feat because at the time she had three strikes against her. She was a woman, she was a mother and she was Jewish.
Maintaining the separation of the judiciary from the executive was one of her great catchcries and yet compromising that – once – became her greatest regret.
When passing judgment as only the second female Supreme Court justice, she is a great believer in the power of the dissenting vote.
Mitchell’s narrative cascades through many of the pivotal cases that shaped RBG’s work in the law, which ultimately became her enduring legacy.
Later, she turned into a cultural icon, known as Notorious RBG, after the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.
Cancer was an unwelcome bedfellow in her life, her husband’s life and the lives of her family.
Along with her love of opera, came workouts with a personal trainer as she aged.
Mitchell’s use of pitch, pace, pause and emphasis is a lesson in theatre etiquette. She dextrously shifts mood and gait.
She adopts different accents to represent her husband, Presidential adviser and Presidents.
She paints Ginsburg as a logical and strategic thinker, as well as an enthusiast.
She can hold her tongue, something she learnt from her mother. And she can also be impatient.
Stirring operatic interludes add gravitas (the composer and sound designer is Paul Charlier). So, too, the well realised colour palette in the lighting design by Alexander Berlage.
The costuming – from leisurely to elegant, exercise gear to judiciary robes – by set and costume designer David Fleischer is transformative.
RBG: Of Many, One is a compelling and imaginative study of a remarkable human being, told with humour, heart, passion and conviction.
It will stand the test of time as one of the all-time great plays. Of that, I have no doubt. Bravo to Heather Mitchell for elevating the art form.
Please do not miss this treat.
The Sydney Theatre Company production is on at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne until 23rd March, 2025.
Review by Alex First Photography by Daniel Boud