BENNELONG IN LONDON
BENNELONG IN LONDON, Sydney Theatre Company at Wharf 1, 23 July - 16 August 2026. Photography by Daniel Boud
Some harumph when “Welcome to Country” is offered up at a gathering. They’re probably the same people who think Bennelong is where Murray Cod with greens and lemon and fennel puree is $80, plus a serve of “Southern Highlands” potatoes with “cultured cream emulsion” for $18. And they know Barangaroo as that rather nice Harbourside park near the casino. Oh, that they could be enticed into Wharf 1 and Bennelong in London.
Jane Harrison, best known for Stolen and The Visitors, has in recent years turned her attention to the painful yet heroic figure of Bennelong (Googoorewon Knox). For some years in the 1790s he lived on that point of land, now site of the luxe eatery and fabled opera house, but Harrison begins the story in 2026 in a thrift shop-furnished apartment in Parramatta (set and costume design: Emma White).
The apartment’s resident is Sebastian (Guy Simon), an actor nervously – and comically – preparing for a video audition. Performing to his phone, propped on the ironing board, he despairs of getting it right despite being a NIDA graduate (he often reminds). Finally, he tries a bit of woo-woo to summon the spirit of the character.
Sebastian is disbelieving when a bare-chested, spear-wielding figure appears. Bennelong is equally incredulous, and their initial interactions are conducted at either end of the spear. Between them, and with twists of humour and serious intent, the strands of fact and fiction, colonial and present-day, are teased out. It’s a toss-up as to who is more puzzled by the realities of their lives, lost in myth and untruths.
As younger audiences will know, and harumphers will not, as ordered by King George, Governor Phillip needed to find out as much as possible about the local people. Unfortunately, as no one would talk, he finally resorted to kidnapping Bennelong! In a neat reversal, Sebastian and Bennelong – two suspicious and wary men – figuratively poke and prod to discover the secrets of both sides.
Sebastian frowns at the quasi-father/son relationship between Governor Philip and Bennelong, while Bennelong tries, but derisively fails, to understand the pointless whimsy of “acting”. The chasm between them is breathtaking. You can see where harumphing comes from.
When Philip is recalled to London, he takes Bennelong, even though he is married to the wondrous Barangaroo. (A play about her, please.) Across 90 minutes, the monumental upheaval of Bennelong’s existence becomes clear. He is dressed like a performing pet in court clothes for life in London. His misery is profound, and his purpose is hard to fathom.
Inevitably, the play occasionally slips into didacticism, because sadly, after all these years, ignorance persists. Nevertheless, the liveliness of the two characters, and the actors playing them, more than save the night. Guy Simon is an easy and experienced stage presence, and his handling of comedy and drama makes laughter and the gut-wrench equally dynamic. In his STC debut, Googoorewon Knox is similarly powerful. He finds depths of pathos and charm in one of Sydney’s most significant historical figures, and he’s magnetic.
Director Ian Michael is central to the success of the production as it moves between states, entertaining with brains, heart, and dignity. Trent Suidgeest’s lighting signifies the changing moods of eras and the circumstances of the two men. Composer James Peter Brown also adds to the whole as abstract, almost inaudible sound builds to more structured moments, all melding into a beautifully human experience.
Happily, Harrison’s portrayal of the man and his times is neither sentimental nor melodramatic. “I’m a devil and a saint. I’m admired and vilified,” Bennelong says, and until now, on this night, through this play, only he knows how burdensome that is. At the same time, sketched lightly around these central figures, to be picked up almost by accident, is the grim reality of early Sydney and, despite any goodwill, the brutality and loss. Bennelong in London is a compelling way to discover the man behind the name. Be riveted.
