The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2 (Seymour Centre) ★★★★½

Written by Matthew López. Seymour Centre. 7-30 Nov, 2024.

Grab a cushion¹ and strap yourself in for a literary, theatrical marathon because The Inheritance has finally come to Sydney! The Olivier and Tony Award winning play (also Evening Standard Award, Outer Circle Critics Award, Drama Desk Award, GLAAD Media Award… you get the idea) has taken its time to get to us, but it’s here and it’s well worth all the hype. 

A contemporary-ish tale of gay men in New York taking liberal inspiration from EM Forster’s novel ‘Howards End’, The Inheritance focuses on young gay couple Eric (Teale Howie) & Toby (Ryan Panizza). Toby is a magnetic, sexy writer whose YA novel “Loved Boy” is being turned into a play. Eric is more of a home-maker, working in progressive politics with his friend Jasper (Jack Mitsch) and making both great brunches and cocktails for his friends. Their lives are changed by three events that happen in quick succession. An older gay couple Henry (John Adam) and Walter (Simon Burke) move into their building, subletting till their new townhouse is completed. A chance encounter at The Strand bookstore brings a young actor, Adam (Tom Rodgers), into their lives. And Eric discovers they are being evicted from his rent-controlled family home…

Let’s tackle the elephant in the room. The Inheritance is long. It is two plays, running at just over three hours each. I know I called this website Cultural Binge, but I didn’t mean it that literally. Thankfully each part has two intervals, breaking the whole story down into roughly six one-hour episodes – this is like bingeing a miniseries on streaming. 

Matthew López’s writing has been structured to keep things moving and varied. Characters come and go (we are literally only introduced to a major character in the final sixth act of the story) and locations change from an abstract space, in which EM Forster himself is running a writing class, to Eric & Toby’s New York apartment, an escape to Fire Island, Paris in the winter and more. Scenes, and monologues, are long, but ever evolving. It is definitely wordy and a lot to take in at times. This is a winding, scholarly tale and makes no excuses for that (but does make a few well received jokes at its own expense). The language is beautiful, the speeches eloquent and the emotions complex and deep. 

It is preachy at times, and moments that felt thrilling when the play premiered in 2018 come across a little awkwardly now (some parts feel like you’re rewatching Dawson’s Creek and wondering who swallowed the thesaurus) but that is a rarity. The script is laced with insights and wordplay, jokes and one-liners you’ll want to remember (my favourite is Toby’s “My heart is always pure. Unfortunately it happens to be surrounded by the rest of me.”) Watching this cast sink their teeth into monologues that span decades, and no doubt pages and pages of script, is like watching Olympic athletes get their turn to compete – it’s a joy to see experts excel at what they were trained to do. I’m in awe of anyone who can remember this gargantuan script, let alone act it with specificity and humanity.

Ryan Panizza (Hubris & Humiliation) is simply a revelation as Toby Darling. He captures the mix of arrogance, insecurity and charm that make the character such a presence you really notice his absence when he’s not around. While Toby is all cheeky self-obsession and sexy looks at first, the role gets progressively more intense and Panizza stepped up to the plate. He may be serving up blatant beefcake at times (we call it “The Draxl Effect²”) but he proves he has the acting muscles to back up the Marvel-movie-sized ones. 

Similarly Tom Rodgers tackles the most difficult part in the plays, the dual roles of Adam & Leo (including a scene where the two characters interact). As echoes of each other, Rodgers adds subtle differences to the parts to differentiate them while keeping their core similarity to the fore. The change would have benefitted from a stronger costuming distinction though and maybe a less sexualised depiction of Leo’s descent into addiction.

John Adam turns the potentially unlikable Henry Wilcox into a warm blend of friendly, intelligent conservatism that challenges the progressive assemblage of younger gay men. And Jack Richardson (Turn of the Screw) brings some sparkling comic relief, particularly as Tucker (as promised). Elijah Williams, who impressed earlier this year in A Case for the Existence of God, also adds strength and dignity as Eric’s best friend Tristan. In short, this ensemble is all excellent. 

Kate Beere’s clean set design holds some hidden surprises. The use of the full height of the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre was an unexpected treat (the photos don’t really do the space justice). Alexander Berlage’s lighting is similarly precise and evocative. This is a beautiful looking show.  

I’ve made no secret of how much I love this play (having seen it a number of times in different productions). I’ve been lucky enough to follow it from first previews in London to now. I know the writing and story is right up my alley and this production does wonders in bringing it to life. This is an achievement of theatre making, and not the kind of show you see every day, or indeed every year. Not to be missed.

¹ I mean this literally, there are extra cushions for your seat available as you enter the theatre.

² The Draxl Effect: If you cast Tim Draxl and he doesn’t take his shirt off, did you ever really cast Tim Draxl at all? An existential question for the ages.