Black Is the New White — Melbourne Theatre Company

Overview

Nakkiah Lui's comedy Black Is the New White has been nothing short of a smash hit since it debuted in 2017 — and now, after seasons in Sydney and Brisbane, it's finally getting a local run with Melbourne Theatre Company. Charlotte Gibson is a lawyer and going places, fast. Her parents are stoked, but they don't know that Charlotte's also procured herself a fiancé. He's white and unemployed, a composer. His upper-middle class parents are at the stuffier end of conservative and they're headed over for Christmas dinner.

But Lui says the idea came from somewhere else entirely. "I just wanted to write something for Aboriginal actors that didn't have death in it. I wanted to write something that didn't come from a place of sorrow…This was actually something that had hope, that had happiness in it."

Director Paige Rattray has the helm for this one with a cast that includes Top End Wedding's Miranda Tapsell. Christmas may still be a few months away, but there's enough cheer in Lui's work to make you forget all about that.

The show will hit Southbank Theatre for a month-long season between Wednesday, October 2 and Saturday, November 9. Lots of shows have already sold out, so make sure you book in quick.

UPDATE: OCTOBER 10, 2019 — Due to most shows being at capacity, four new shows have been added, extending the season until Saturday, November 9. 

Image: Rene Vaile.