Every filmmaker hopes their work will be remembered. But what happens when the thing that resurfaces is the story you’ve spent two decades trying to bury?
State Theatre Company South Australia’s Commentary poses that question with razor-sharp wit and uncomfortable precision. The production opens at the Dunstan Playhouse on 21 August, and for 60 hours only, tickets are available at $60 using the code COMMENT60 at checkout.
A filmmaker’s past catches up
Nick was once the kind of young director everyone wanted to watch. His debut film caused a stir, earned him attention, and then quietly disappeared from conversation. Now, years later, a retrospective screening has pulled it back into the light.
As Nick sits down to record a director’s commentary for the re-release, the carefully constructed narrative he’s told himself and everyone else begins to fracture. The truths he’s guarded, the memories he’s reshaped, the version of events he’s polished into acceptability start falling apart in real time.
It’s a premise that feels unsettlingly contemporary. In an era of cultural reckonings and resurfaced footage, Commentary asks what we owe to the past and whether anyone truly gets to control their own story.
Gyton Grantley takes the stage
Playing Nick is Gyton Grantley, whose screen presence has shaped some of Australian television’s most memorable characters. From his Logie-winning turn in Underbelly to his long-running roles in House Husbands and Blue Heelers, Grantley has built a career on portraying men whose confidence masks something more complicated underneath.
That sensibility suits Commentary perfectly. This isn’t a straightforward villain or a simple redemption arc. Nick is charming, defensive, self-aware and self-deceiving, sometimes within the same breath. It’s the kind of role that rewards an actor who can hold contradictions in tension, and Grantley has proven he can do exactly that.
Seeing him in a live theatre context brings a different energy to his work. There’s no second take in the Dunstan Playhouse, no editor to smooth the rough edges. Every shift in tone, every moment of discomfort, happens in front of you.
Dark comedy with teeth
State Theatre Company describes Commentary as a wickedly funny dark comedy, and the combination is deliberate. The production uses humour not as relief from its difficult subject matter but as a way into it. We laugh because we recognise something, then feel the discomfort of that recognition.
It’s an approach that respects audiences’ intelligence. Rather than telling you how to feel about Nick and his unravelling story, the play invites you to sit with ambiguity. The laughter isn’t comfortable, and it’s not meant to be.
For those who appreciate theatre that takes risks, Commentary promises to be one of the sharper offerings this season.
The $60 ticket offer
The limited-time offer runs from 19 August until 5pm on 21 August. Adult tickets across all performances are available for $60 plus booking fee when you use the code COMMENT60 at checkout.
The season runs from 21 August through 5 September at the Dunstan Playhouse, with evening and matinee performances available. Several sessions include additional accessibility options, including audio description and captioning.
Performance times:
- Evening performances: 6:30pm or 7:30pm depending on the session
- Matinees: 2pm on Saturdays, 11am on Wednesday 2 September
Given the 60-hour window on this offer, if Commentary has been on your radar, now is the time to book.
Commentary plays at the Dunstan Playhouse from 21 August to 5 September. Use code COMMENT60 for $60 tickets, available 19-21 August until 5pm. Book through State Theatre Company South Australia.
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