Griffin Theatre Company's 2019 swan song — First Love is the Revolution by Rita Kalnejais — delivers another riff on the tale of doomed lovers Romeo and Juliet, with one very obvious difference: an inter-species pairing. Director Lee Lewis says it's the perfect play to lead into the Christmas season, even though it's gory as hell. In other words, it's a classic tale of adolescent love, just a little harder to see through all the flying blood and viscera.

Actually, it's more complicated than that. Rdeca (Sarah Meacham) is a fox, and her mum thinks it's time Rdeca started ticking the 'kills other living creatures' box on her fox resume. With the pressure mounting for her to disembowel a mole, Rdeca finds herself the captive of Basti (Bardiya McKinnon), a boy who is bullied at school and largely ignored at home. It's no small surprise to either of them when they begin to develop intense feelings for each other.

Is it animal instinct? Or human empathy? One thing's for sure — a lot of characters' insides are going to be on the outside by the time these star-crossed lovers are through.

First Love is the Revolution will run from Friday, November 1 through to Saturday, December 14 every day except Sundays.