REVIEW: Caravan - Nash Theatre

Caravan

Presented by Nash Theatre

Written by Donald MacDonald

Directed by Phil Carney

Nothing screams "Aussie adventure" like a carefree beachside caravan holiday, and nothing's more relatable than watching that dream unravel in real life. Unfortunately, Caravan had its opening weekend delayed due to sickness, so I caught one of the later performances in the season instead. But the show must go on even after a bumpy road to get there! Credit to the Nash Theatre team for powering through and getting this caravan back on track.

Caravan takes the classic holiday with old friends setup and gives it a firm shove into chaos. What kicks off as a breezy beach escape soon turns into a circus of lousy weather, awkward sleeping arrangements, an overabundance of booze, a shortage of personal space, and friendships we damage along the way.

Directed by Phil Carney, Caravan follows two older couples, a bachelor, and a very out-of-place young girlfriend as they attempt to share the cramped interior of a caravan for two weeks. As old secrets, age gaps, romantic disappointments, and marital resentments begin to bubble up, the holiday environment becomes increasingly unbearable and hilarious. Set over one week in this single caravan, the play highlights the comedy of claustrophobia. Trapped by Mother Nature, the characters drink, argue, complain, play cards, read, and annoy each other... it was the 80s after all, with little else to do.

Right from the start, the sounds of beach birds, waves, and cars let you know you're by the coast, even before the drama kicks off. The set, designed by Phil Carney, is one of the production’s strongest visual elements. It creates an instantly recognisable nostalgic environment. Inside the caravan, it's snug and practical, detailed and deliberately cramped. This isn't some roomy holiday spot with 360 degree ocean views and a fancy cheese platter. It's six people packed in close, with about four of them pretending they are coping far better than they are. By the grand finale, the slowly flooding caravan transforms the whole thing into a disaster zone. Watching everyone get progressively wetter, drunker, grumpier, and on the verge of snapping is a hilariously satisfying farcical treat.

The sound design by Mark Corben and Dave Griffiths includes the beach birds, waves, passing cars, rain, and dripping water, which help build the world outside the caravan while also making the inside feel increasingly miserable. The dripping sounds are especially effective because they are irritating as hell. You understand instantly why the characters are losing patience. It's the kind of sound that starts off as background noise and ends up feeling like psychological torture. The lighting design, also by Phil Carney, supports the realistic style of the production clearly.

Caravan dives into the world of long-term relationships and what unfolds when adults start acting like teenagers on a summer escapade. This isn't just a comedy stacked with zingers (although there are some great one-liners). The humour largely stems from how realistic the conflict feels. I might not be the target audience, but I can identify with the camping mayhem and the battles between spouses.

Small spoilers ahead...

Playing Penny Robinson, Phillipa Bowe brings a lovely sense of polite control to the group’s hostess and peacekeeper. Penny is doing her best to keep the holiday on track, even as secrets and irritation simmer underneath. Bowe shows us the pent-up wife beneath the surfce, quietly stewing while trying hard to maintain civility. Her tension builds nicely across the play, and when Penny finally snaps, it's wonderfully satisfying. Her shouting match with Monica is a major moment, and later, the drunken bonding between the two women has a funny, messy, girlhood quality that is very recognisable.

James Hogan plays Parkes Robinson, the grumpy bugger married to Penny, with a vile temper and a slightly sleazy edge. Hogan has excellent dialogue delivery and handles Parkes’ grumbling, irritation, and outbursts with strong timing. He captures a man who complains easily and is used to getting his own way. Hogan adds a lot to the tense atmosphere inside the caravan, and his temper makes the space feel even more cramped.

As Monica Price, Gemma Keliher is one of the funniest presences in the production. Monica is deeply unimpressed by everything: the caravan, camping, the weather, and almost everyone around her. Keliher gives her a brilliant face of visible distaste (RBF), making it extremely clear that Monica does not want to be there. Her awkward chitchat with the young Gwendolyn sets the strained social scene early on, and her later drunken antics are spot on acting (It was acting right?). Also, the detail that Monica happily has two cats and no kids is a whole mood.

Nathan Seng brings a laid-back and straightforward vibe to Rodney Price, your typical Aussie bloke who prefers to keep things simple. Rodney’s back-and-forth with Parkes adds to the sense that the guys are always just one gripe away from a blow-up. There's a lot of shouting, especially among the men, and while it can become a little repetitive at points, it does suit the mounting chaos of the piece. Hayden Sullivan plays Pierce, the slightly pretentious bachelor. He feels slightly ridiculous among the long-term couples, particularly with his much younger girlfriend in tow. His relationship with Gwendolyn adds to the play’s themes of age, maturity, and social discomfort, and he seems to invite judgment from the others simply by existing

As Gwendolyn, Samantha Herde is excellent at showing discomfort without needing many lines. Her face gives away everything before she speaks. Playing the 26-year-old fish out of water among old pals and older couples, Herde’s reactions are a quiet highlight throughout the play. She often looks like she is trapped in someone else’s parents’ divorce, which is both super funny and strangely spot-on. Her politeness in the middle of all the passive aggression and increasingly unhinged adult behaviour makes the group dynamic complete.

Together, this ensemble works well to build the slow breakdown of the story. The actors make us believe that these characters have known each other long enough to know exactly how to push each other's buttons. The awkwardness between the three women is particularly effective early in the play, while the guys' arguing adds another kind of pressure. The best group moments come from the final act when everyone is stuck inside together, wet, cranky, drunk, bored, and rapidly running out of patience. By the end, it feels like they're about ready to strangle each other as the caravan slowly sinks.

There are some wonderfully memorable lines throughout, like “This is far worse than with the children!” The writing has a cheeky attitude toward marriage, fidelity, friendship, and blurred boundaries, and Nash Theatre’s cast leans into the messiness with commitment. The pacing does drag slightly, with the middle section losing some momentum and dwelling too long on the same issues. However, the final act revives the energy significantly and offers the production's strongest comedic moments. It's like witnessing a late-night drunk gathering where everyone has moved past politeness into shouting, arguing, oversharing, and emotional honesty. We've all been there...

Nash Theatre delivers a funny and increasingly ridiculous portrait of a beach holiday from hell. It may not make you want to book a caravan getaway anytime soon, but it will absolutely make you grateful for a solid roof, separate bedrooms, and holidays where nobody has to say, “What’s a husband between friends?”