Seventeen (Melbourne Theatre Company)
School’s out. Forever.
Six teens assemble at the local park to celebrate the great unknown that is their future. Through wild drinking, wilder dancing, regrettable pashes and jaw-dropping confessions, no one will be left unchanged by this night.
The twist? Legendary stars of the stage and screen Fiona Choi, Robert Menzies, Genevieve Picot, Richard Piper, Pamela Rabe and George Shevtsov bring a lifetime of experience to characters with their whole lives ahead of them.
Set to a soundtrack of infectious bangers and played out on a visually stunning playground, you’ll be drawn into the inner lives of these riveting characters on the cusp of adulthood.
Australian playwright Matthew Whittet offers us a wild and wise vision of adolescence, where youth and maturity intermingle in every moment. Hilarious and moving, Seventeen will remind you that growing up is more than just swings and roundabouts.
PLEASE NOTE: The performances available are preview performances. Previews are the performances prior to Opening Night and are an important milestone in a show's development. You'll be one of the very first to see the show!
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Feedback/Comments
Some actors were good, some mediocre
Honestly hated this show. The staging was good though.
Interesting
Interesting concept - the set, revolving stage and acting were excellent. The first half of the play was quite slow-paced and not as engaging, but the second half was more lively and humourous, and the characters' backstories become more developed. I didn't get the vibe that these were 'real' teenagers, though. I think a collaboration with teens could have made the execution of the play a bit more authentic.
Really enjoyed but I think the writing could have been a bit more contemporary, maybe get some younger writes to collaborate with just so its a bit more nuanced.
Enjoyed having the night out at this venue with the family.
Overall it was an interesting concept, however it took too long for the story to develop. Actors were great.
Beautifully done
Overall I was glad I saw this show however, I don't think it lived up to its potential. Actors did a good job with the script however it felt a little lacklustre at times. I feel we all move in such a fast pace world that this felt quite slow. I loved costuming and set! Both very simple but effective.
Unfortunately some of the dialogue was lost due to muffled speech.
My 26 year old daughter did not enjoy the show at all unfortunately. I did enjoy the post it note wall in the foyer however that didn't link to the show at all.
It was done in an interesting way.
Interesting concept, enjoyed it!
Took some time to warm up, but eventually worth it!
Not the best or worst play. I thought Rob Menzies was excellent
I understand the concept but felt gimmicky to me.
Acting unconvincing aside from younger female asian actor who was great. Clever set.
A creative story. Well done
Great acting & set design with a relatable story
Stage design was simple but effective and was brought to life by brilliant cast, but the show overall was lacking in pace. The. Story didn’t develop quickly enough in the first half leaving a lot of catch up later, forcing it all to unravel quite suddenly. Interesting concept though.
GREAT SHOW
Lost on younger folk. Aprreciated by adults.
Great fun!!
So much fun! Very well done
Truly incredible show, very moving. I didn't expect to leave with tears in my eyes. Highly recommend!!
I laughed and cried. I really enjoyed this play
This was a fun night out
Entertaining and great acting. However if it wasn't for the quirky casting and solid performances the play itself was somewhat predictable.
Very moving production. Incredibly talented actors.
Fun yet thought-provoking nostalgia. Great set.
Great cast! Slow to start but had more substance towards the end.
This was a great show with interetsing character development.
I enjoyed this very much.
Really enjoyable, funny and serious too. A great night out with very thoughtful themes. Certainly worth seeing
Very good play, highly recommend.
This production slowly but surely drew me in, until I had entirely accepted I was watching a group of kids on the precipice of adulthood and was brought to tears. Fiona Choi was especially a delight and I would love to see her performing live again.
Fantastic, an awesome concept & night out.
Totally enjoyed this play. Entertaining with some thought provoking themes.
Loved the concept,authenticity and humour of this play. I get why there was no interval but it would have improved the experience for me. Brought back lots of happy and unhappy memories of our own high school days.
was a great night out. Enjoyed using adults as teenagers reminding us that many struggles and insecurities are lifelong.
What a great concept! Love the storyline. A few nostalgic memories and songs. Still a few kinks to iron out. The sound was a bit patchy in places. But all in all, a great show!
Loved the notion of senior actors playing teenagers. Excellent cast did an excellent job - as you would expect of actors of this calibre. Physicality and energy was well-captured. Found it quite poignant to imagine that this is who these kids might become. The revolving playground set worked a treat! What would you tell your 17 year old self?
I had trouble hearing the dialogue clearly, they spoke so fast it was often a mumble to us more towards the back of the theatre. It seems others heard better perhaps it depended on where one was seated. The actors were amazing but I didn't really follow it all due to difficulty with hearing clearly, loud enough just lacked crisp elocution. I hope its on digital theatre so I can explore it further and get more out of it close up and clear in my headphones.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of actors with such a depth of life experience, playing characters who had no real life experience at all, but conversely were having to become 'adults' far too early due to circumstances beyond their control. Would recommend seeing this one.
An absolutely stunning performance with an all star cast. The play explored adulthood and the transition from youth so beautifully 10/10 recommend!
Moving and relatable, funny and sad. Mind bending having older actors play 17 year olds. Fab actors all but the dialogue was a little slow in parts particularly earlier in the show.
Overall terrific.
Found it difficult to hear what the performers were saying for a lot of it.
Moved along without too much to say at first (beyond profanities) became a bit more poignant in the second half. Interesting idea to use veteran actors to portray a group of teenagers. The characters all seemed a bit wise beyond their years and I wasn't sure if this was a nod to the older adults or a general problem with the script. Anyway it did somewhat capture that confused time between adolescence and adulthood. Great revolving set by the way.
Really enjoyed the play. The characters and performances from the actors in Seventeen was fantastic. It was very a funny and relatable story. Could feel the heartfelt emotions between the characters. Great set too.
Nostalgic and relatable, though the script was a little shallow. At times hard to hear the dialogue.
This was an excellent performance by the cast. Although there was no interval, we hardly needed it as the play progressed so smoothly. Good acting in an excellent theatre and a great play.
Early heavy on the language. Got better as it moved along. Dialogue a little thin in the early stages.
Actors did a fine job but having the play characters less than a third their age did not help thin material
Foul language at the start was too much. Really enjoyed the older actors playing seventeen, with the body language spot on. A very enjoyable evening.
Very relatable. A bit of an emotional rollercoaster with much humour & an unexpected twist! My friend & I thoroughly enjoyed it (although I did find some of the softer dialogue difficult to hear).
A really great production with a talented cast
Great cast who did well with what they had but the script lacked something and at times it was a bit tedious to watch. Needed a bit more substance, humour and joy.
Found it a little difficult to hear the dialog at times set was fabulous however didn't feel the cohesion of characters that i wanted to experience because i wanted to be drawn in by the Actors on the cusp of Adulthood it was a little off the mark for me
Loved it. Nostalgic. Hilarious. Trip down memory lane.
Very entertaining. I enjoyed the fact that older actors played teenagers. The subject is deep and found everyone of us that watch the show in discussion about our early teenage years and that reflection it has on our lives now.
Our group ages 20–>50yrs all enjoyed show. We had all experienced what the characters were going through.
It was a slow burn to connect with older aged actors playing teenagers. BUT the performances were excellent, and before too long we didn’t notice they weren’t actually 17.
Go see Seventeen!
Was easy to watch. Nostalgic of my own teenage years.
Beautiful, stupid, poignant.
A joyful and thought-provoking show. Lots to discuss and think about afterwards.
Love the play. Great acting and very touching for the second half.
A moving piece of theatre that reminds us of the different stages of development that are unavoidable, through which a person learns and grows, perpetu mobile... we have all been there and all that was there on stage is familiar to those in some way. Much of it is to do with relationships - and that is true at all stages of life. Teenage talk with deep meaning and much afterthought. Well done MTC, a good start for 2024.
Detailed score 3.5
I am always wary of adults playing teenager vibes. So often they are a bit cringey and nqr. Particularly if you know teens, which I do. I was very distracted throughout the first third - or even half of the play for that reason. Random references to TikTok dances and Insta were just a bit ‘off’. It was difficult to know what time period we were in. The music choices and costumes were def not from the last couple of years but… when were they from? I understand this may have been intentional - one of the key messages is around thoughts of ‘where does the time go’ and ‘I’m not ready’ and ‘what will become of me are universal - regardless of time. But it was distracting and these were the things I was thinking about in the first half
But the experience of the cast shows and they draw you in. And all of a sudden you’re feeling…and feeling some more. No spoilers but the second half of the play whacks an emotional punch and sticks the landing and then some.
First half 2.5, second half 4.25 so rounding it up. Worth it just to see Pamela Rabe to her thing
Great acting, but at times the pace of the play seemed to slow down. Clever use of a playground set. Certainly connected with teenage confusion over friendships love and relationships.
well acted typical teenagers, forces one to reflect on ones own life. I would think audience members could see themselves and their stories and relate to some of the characters. The play had much symbolism including the almost unnoticeable, subtle rotation of the stage that almost turned 360 degrees by the end. Well done. Will certainly recommend to others.
A great play. I got really drawn into the storyline and at times had me thinking back to that last year and days of high school! Loved the annoying younger sister too!!