Henry Lawson Theatre Inc: The Man From Earth - Review by Simon Peppercorn

Before seeing The Man From Earth at Henry Lawson Theatre, I deliberately avoided learning too much about the play. I did not want to compare it with other productions or be influenced by the 2007 film. I wanted to meet the story on its own terms, in the room, with this cast, and allow the premise to reveal itself as intended. That proved to be the right choice, because this is a work that depends heavily on discovery. Its power sits in the slow unfolding of an extraordinary claim, and in watching how a group of people respond when their certainty begins to crack.

Directed by Anthony Ashdown, this production takes on a demanding piece of theatre. There is no grand spectacle here, no easy sentiment, and very little comfort. The play asks its audience to sit inside a long, increasingly tense conversation about life, death, faith, history, identity and the stories human beings use to make sense of existence. It is not a feel-good night at the theatre, but it is certainly a thought-provoking one.

At the centre of the story is John Oldman, played by Hagop Zarmenian, who gives the production its necessary stillness and mystery. His restrained performance allows the impossible premise to unfold without being overplayed. Peter Hazel is another standout as Dr Gruber, bringing emotional depth and real weight to the later stages of the story, particularly as the evening moves towards an unexpectedly traumatic conclusion.

Elle Emmert is fascinating to watch as Dan. Her performance has a clear and engaging emotional progression. What begins as curiosity and intellectual engagement gradually shifts into unease, anxiety and visible unravelling as the night wears on. As John’s story becomes harder to dismiss, and as the Johnnie Walker and beers begin to loosen the room, Dan’s response adds a strong human layer to the production. Elle captures the experience of someone trying to remain rational while the ground beneath them is quietly giving way.

The wider ensemble also helps shape the tense and increasingly uneasy atmosphere of the evening. Blake Reeves as Harry, Glenn Levett as Art, Rhonda Hancock as Edith, Brianna Grima as Linda and Lily Ashdown as Sandy each bring a different response to John’s impossible claim displaying fascination, scepticism, resistance, discomfort, and emotional attachment and belief.

The production is strongest when it lets the tension sit beneath the conversation. The ideas are big, but the real drama comes from watching ordinary people struggle with the possibility that their most deeply held assumptions may not be as solid as they thought. The ending lands with genuine traumatic weight, giving the play a darker emotional impact than its early, conversational tone might suggest.

The play itself is heavily dialogue-driven and asks a great deal from its performers and audience. At times, the production would have benefited from tighter pacing, but the central idea remains compelling enough to hold attention. Its greatest strength lies not in providing answers, but in gently, then relentlessly, pushing the audience to examine what they believe and why.

The Man From Earth is not a feel-good story, nor does it try to be. It is a challenging, sombre and philosophically rich work that invites the audience to re-examine their own beliefs long after leaving the theatre. The final moments land with genuine force, reframing the evening in a way that is unsettling and emotionally bruising. Anthony Ashdown and the cast deserve credit for taking on material that is intellectually dense, emotionally difficult and deceptively simple in form.