So Young (Old Fitz) ★★★★

Written by Douglas Maxwell. Australian Premiere. Outhouse Theatre Co. Old Fitz Theatre. 7-22 Nov, 2025.

“Remember the time…?” – three friends getting together to reminisce becomes a passive-aggressive battle in the darkly funny Scottish domestic comedy So Young. The stories that bind friendships run deep – but are they stopping life from moving forward?

Middle-aged couple Liane (Ainslie McGlynn) and Davie (Jeremy Waters) are invited to dinner by their recently widowed friend Milo (Henry Nixon). All three are still grieving the loss of Helen – Milo’s wife of twenty years and Liane’s best friend. When Milo suddenly introduces them to his new twenty-year-old girlfriend Greta (Aisha Aidara), Liane and Davie do their best to stay civil, but they can only bottle up their outrage and confusion for so long.

Outhouse Theatre Co have always excelled at finding strong writing to bring to the stage, and So Young is no exception. Though conceptually lighter than previous works like A Case for the Existence of God, Heroes of the Fourth Turning or Consent, So Young is an exploration of the heart, not the mind, that gives the cast plenty to chew on.

McGlynn and Waters bring an easy familiarity to the marriage, full of shorthand and comfortable jests. Their chemistry with Nixon, playing their old school friend Milo, has a natural warmth. Even in their forties, there’s a youthful camaraderie between Davie and Milo that speaks to shared history. Their current frustrations rest on decades-old grievances and familiar patterns of behaviour.

Both Liane and Milo are consumed by grief for Helen, who died alone in hospital during the Covid pandemic. The unresolved nature of that loss seeps into their lives in different ways. Liane is angry and confused, her resentments souring her relationships. Milo is lonely but determined to move forward, refusing to be swallowed by sorrow.

As the outsider, Aidara’s Greta feels distinctly separate from the others. Playwright Douglas Maxwell goes to great lengths to present her as an equal despite her youth which risks turning her into an idealised woman, rather than a real character. His determination to sidestep older-younger romance clichés sometimes tips the balance – the relationship risks being defined more by what it isn’t than by what it is. Thankfully Aidara’s layered performance fills in the gaps (her reactions are beautifully delivered, even when she is not the focus of the moment).

The success of Maxwell’s script lies not in reinventing a familiar tale – the older man’s younger girlfriend provoking amusement and disgust – but in filling each moment with well-observed detail and sharp dialogue. It’s a smart, grown-up piece that trusts its audience. Every line slots into place like a puzzle piece, revealing character bit by bit. Maxwell deftly avoids inserting references to Covid-era UK politics (“Partygate”, vaccine denial, the image of Queen Elizabeth sitting alone at Prince Philip’s funeral), keeping the focus personal.

Director Sam O’Sullivan makes deft use of the Old Fitz’s intimate space, complemented by Kate Beere’s rich set design. Aron Murray’s lighting is especially adept at smoothing scene transitions and shifting location with simple elegance. O’Sullivan draws an appealing naturalism from his performers – despite their slightly heightened Scottish accents – grounding the play in emotional truth.

So Young may not be the meatiest of dramas, but it’s far from empty comedic calories. Outhouse Theatre Co have doubled down on works that put the laughs front and centre this year, with both So Young and the excellent Eureka Day at the Seymour from earlier this year being crowd-pleasers without sacrificing literary or intellectual merit. There’s plenty to engage both brain and heart and I’m all here for it.