A relaxing wellness retreat to celebrate a middle-age milestone with your besties; sounds like a dream! But just like in life, not everything on this trip is as perfect as it first promises to be. Losing Face is a hilarious new play written by Marieke Hardy and directed by Leticia Cáceres, looking into the world of friendship, beauty, aging, and change.
There was already a buzz in the air before the show with an enthusiastic and supportive audience ready for a laugh. While the Melbourne audience took their seats waiting for the show to begin, positive affirmations gently faded in and out on the on-stage screen’s rippled water backdrop, while upbeat pop tunes from the 90s and 2000s played overhead. With a very cliché collection of phrases typical of what you’d expect to see on social media posts from wellness influencers including, “I am proof enough of who I am and what I deserve” or “I do the work that works for me”.
As the house lights dimmed, we were then greeted by three women’s faces close up on the screen, while they poked and prodded themselves, slapping on serums, creams, eye masks, and tweezing out the chin hairs, before the stage is revealed to meet our three main characters in person.
It’s Jo’s (Michala Banas) 50th birthday, and to celebrate she has brought her two best friends Lauren (Christie Whelan Browne) and Simone (Madeleine Sami) along for a girls’ weekend at an upscale wellness resort. The three friends are thrilled to see each other after some time apart and are determined not to be the ‘1980’s Golden Girl version of 50’ but rather the ‘J.Lo Superbowl version of 50’ instead. Their lives have seemingly drifted in different directions over the years; Lauren has gone ‘full Gorman’ raising her family in rural Victoria, Simone is partying it up with a younger crowd and partner, and Jo the free spirited one, has been adventurously travelling the world.
After checking in at what appeared to be a relaxing spa resort, our leading ladies learn their home for the next few days actually insists on offering cosmetic procedures to its guests. Beauty and wellness guru Tomas (Wil King) and his faithful nurse (Genevieve Morris) are quick to point out all the women’s apparent flaws, quickly followed up by a matching procedure as the solution. As Tomas touchingly reminds them, “Beauty is inside us…but more importantly it’s outside of us”. After a bender of a night out, the women reconsider their initial refusals, however not everything goes exactly to plan.
What ensues is a riotous play mixing comedy, drama, horror and pure absurdity, in the best way. My main take away was to expect the unexpected from this team. On the night I attended, audience members were screaming out loud with laughter, only to have tears in their eyes minutes later for the more reflective moments on friendship and what it means to be a good friend, even as life changes.
Around the halfway point, a side-splittingly funny but bizarre scene gave an almost car crash ‘can’t look away’ moment involving interpretive dance, Kasey Chambers, and the up close footage of sausage production (reminded me a little of the surreal world of the film Everything Everywhere All At Once), but you’ll have to see the play yourself for more context for that one!
The cast all deliver strong performances here. Wil King’s Tomas was a standout performance for the pure commitment to the physical comedy of the character, quirky mannerisms, and memorable line deliveries.
Morris is fantastic as the Nurse but really shone in the comedy of her second role of the Competitive Guest with her oversized hat, her scene in the ice bath was particularly funny. Whelan Browne and Sami both impressed in their more dramatic moments when the characters got to the nuts and bolts of their friendship issues and handled the quick changes between dramatic moments to a joke punchline well. Banas gave Jo her spirit and energy. You could really feel her want and need to keep all the friends together and having a good time.
The music choices through the show were fun pop bops and a great way to transition between scenes, plus the sound design (Kelly Ryal) of the wellness ‘gongs’/’shell trumpet calls’, as well as the audible affirmations, kept scenes moving and transitioning smoothly. I was also impressed with the use of stage space and the set design (Jo Briscoe), which featured a rotating centre piece and multi-level areas, all which were utilised well, felt full-scale and well detailed.
Losing Face is funny, touching and reflective. Beyond looking at aging and beauty, it pondered on what being a good friend means, and how changes in life can impact that. If you’re looking to see something fresh, unique and want have a bit of a laugh along the way, Losing Face is for you.
Melbourne Theatre Company’s Losing Face runs through until the 25th July 2026 in Melbourne at Southbank Theatre.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2026/losing-face
Photography by Pia Johnson.
