Theatre / “Julia”, Sydney Theatre Company. At The Playhouse, until March 25. Reviewed by SIMONE PENKETHMAN. 

ONCE upon a time in Canberra, our Queen came to visit and was greeted by a woman Governor-General, Prime Minister and Chief Minister. Now, that seems like a glitch in history.

The story of our first and only female prime minister, Julia Gillard, serves as a cautionary tale to any woman who might dare to fly too close to the sun.

But rising from the ashes, not long after the 10th anniversary of her famous misogyny speech, “Julia” offers us a chance to imagine the inner workings of a woman whose calm pragmatism and ability to negotiate and compromise characterised her time as leader of our country.

There are two women on stage: blonde Justine Clarke as the redheaded Julia, and dark-haired Jessica Bentley, as Young Woman, a silent, movement-based character. It seems fitting for Young Woman to be occupying some of this space because Julia’s story resonates with a new generation, many of whom flood TikTok with their own lip-synced performances of her famous speech.

Renee Mulder’s set design makes great use of mirrors, lighting, and projections to evoke both the political stage on which Julia performed and playwright, Joanna Murray-Smith’s, imagined glimpses into Julia’s thoughts and memories.

Over the course of nearly 90 minutes, Justine Clarke evolves from a narrator, retelling the story in third person, to a complete and triumphant embodiment of the one moment when Julia Gillard told the leader of the opposition, the country, and the whole world how she really felt.

It’s great writing, with plenty of laugh-out-loud and ah-ha moments. But, like watching the “The Final Quarter”, a movie about former footballer and Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes, this play is also an uncomfortable reminder of so much toxic commentary that bubbled around Julia’s term in office.

Director Sarah Goodes remarks in her program notes that, “Justine and I spoke a lot about how, as women of a certain age, we felt slightly guilty for not having spoken up more when Julia was being treated as she was during her time as PM.”

As the packed Playhouse theatre rose for the world-premiere performance to a standing ovation, it felt like catharsis, a shaking off of shame and permission to be proud.