Premier Arts & Entertainment Coverage

Machinal

May 22, 2026

Review by Markus Hamence – Machinal. Performance date: Thursday 21 May 2026. Goodwood Theatre & Studios, Goodwood, South Australia.

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Gentle? Red Phoenix Theatre’s production of Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is anything but. Directed with slick intensity by Michael Eustice, this Adelaide staging crashes into the Goodwood Theatre audience like a machine that has finally lost control, loud, claustrophobic and emotionally suffocating in all the right ways.

Written in 1928 by American playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell, the expressionist classic still feels wildly contemporary. Inspired by the real-life Ruth Snyder murder case, the story follows a woman trapped inside the expectations of marriage, work, motherhood and society itself, slowly spiralling as the world around her reduces human existence to routine, noise and obligation. Something very clever about this piece is that so much of the story goes on between the scenes and un-played-out on stage yet not a storyline goes mis-understood or is confusing. Clever.

Lead, Kate van der Horst, delivers a haunting and emotionally layered performance as the Young Woman, capturing the crushing isolation and internal panic of a woman trapped inside a world demanding conformity. Her portrayal moves between fragility and quiet rebellion with remarkable precision, allowing the audience to feel every unspoken fear simmering beneath the surface. van der Horst never overplays the role, instead drawing viewers in through subtle physicality, nervous tension and moments of heartbreaking stillness. Her relationship with her mother, her husband, with herself, the angst is their in spades – in a production filled with intensity and noise, she becomes the emotional centre of the storm, giving Machinal its deeply human tormented pulse.

“Machinal – This is Adelaide independent theatre at its most fearless, stylish and psychologically sharp.”
Markus Hamence

Red Phoenix lean fully into the play’s industrial heartbeat. The production pulses with tension, from its fragmented dialogue to its relentless movement and eerie soundscape. Scenes blur together like a feverish dream, while harsh/dramatic lighting (Richard Parkhill) and shadow-heavy visuals create a world that feels permanently on edge. The scene changes are met with perfection with the clunking of machines and gears, very industrial revolution (Think Madonna’s Express Yourself video). There is an almost cinematic quality to the staging, drawing inspiration from German Expressionism while still feeling immediate and raw. It is well played.

The ensemble cast work like cogs inside the same crushing machine, each performer helping build the suffocating rhythm surrounding the Young Woman. Trevor Anderson, Laura Antoniazzi, Nic Betts, James Grosser, Matt Houston, Lisa Lanzi, Sophie Livingston-Pearce, Sharon Malujlo, Steve Marvanek, Stuart Pearce and Leighton Vogt deliver performances that feel precise yet emotionally loaded, never allowing the audience room to breathe comfortably.

Cat & Roles (In order of appearance):

Trevor Anderson Adding Clerk / Man at Table 1 / Voices / Prosecution
James Grosser Filing Clerk / Voices / Bellboy / Boy at Table 2 / Bailiff / Jailer
Lisa Lanzi Stenographer / Woman’s Voice / Nurse / Clerk / Matron
Laura Antoniazzi Telephone Girl / Woman’s Voice / Voices / Clerk / Reporter
Sophie Livingston-Pearce Typing Pool / Girl’s Voice / Woman at Table 1 / Court Reporter / Barber / Guard
Stuart Pearce Typing Pool / Man at Table 2 / Defence
Leighton Vogt Typing Pool / Husband’s Voice / Young Doctor / 2nd Man / Reporter / Barber / Guard
Matt Houston Jones / Husband 2
Kate van der Horst Young Woman
Sharon Malujlo Mother / Waiter / Reporter
Nic Betts Janitor’s Voice / Man’s Voice / First Man / Reporter
Steve Marvanek Doctor / Judge / Priest

What makes this performance and entire production deliver so powerfully is its refusal to soften the edges. Michael Eustice understands that Machinal works best when it feels oppressive, when conversations overlap like machinery and human connection becomes frighteningly transactional. The result is theatre that feels deeply unsettling but impossible to look away from.

“Red Phoenix turns Machinal into a beautiful psychological pressure cooker.”
Markus Hamence

The production also highlights exactly why Red Phoenix Theatre has become such an exciting force within Adelaide’s independent theatre scene. Their commitment to presenting bold, challenging work continues to push audiences beyond comfortable storytelling and into something far more visceral.

Wrap Up: Machinal doesn’t simply tell a story – it traps you inside the noise of a world that has forgotten how to listen. It’s a piece that will have you thinking well after the bows are taken.

South Australian Theatre is alive and gloriously flourishing.