Tommy Murphy’s ‘On the Beach’ opens at Sydney Theatre Company

On the Beach by Nevil Shute, adapted for the stage by Cameron’s client Tommy Murphy is now playing at the Sydney Theatre Company until 12 August.

A small group of friends in Melbourne – some local, some survivors from the US Navy – are living out their eerily prosaic lives and loves in the wake of World War III. But when a mysterious distress call rings out across the Pacific Ocean, the characters are called to choose between duty to the ones they love and duty to the human race.

“The play finds its way to the novel’s bleak final moments and it’s desperately sad, but it’s not desolate. There is love here, and community and compassion. This production is a hand reaching out for our own, a reminder that we are not yet done and, crucially, we are not alone.” – The Guardian ★★★★

“Murphy is able to excavate genuine wit and humour from Shute’s turgid prose, allowing us to care that these people make the right choices for themselves. This dialogue is warm and human. And our connection to the characters in the first half provides a platform for the devastating pathos of the second half.” – The Conversation

You can buy tickets here.

Running until 12 August 2023 at Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney.