Brisbane’s La Boite once again dives headlong into bold Australian theatre with the world premiere of 'We’re All Gonna Die!', a collaboration with Dead Puppet Society. The play blends eco-thriller, schlock horror, dark satire, and all kinds of puppets into a 75-minute existential whirlwind.
The play centres on Theo, a Brisbane high-schooler who loses one of her two boat-going mums in an accident on the high seas – otherwise known as 30 minutes off the coast of the port of Brisbane. A science nerd, Theo senses a monstrous environmental threat is rising up to wreak vengeance on the River City, but her warnings go unheeded. Queue a Bob-Katter-esque Defence Minister, an obsequious Headmaster, and two very well-depicted 'teenagers' as Theo’s new friends, and you have all the ingredients for the classic good versus evil tale.
Disaster strikes, setting off a chain reaction of destruction that spectacularly obliterates Brisbane’s own landmarks – think cardboard replicas of City Hall and the Eye of Brisbane raining from the sky. Co directors David Morton (Dead Puppet Society) and Courtney Stewart (La Boite Artistic Director) have delivered one of La Boite’s most ambitious productions. The puppetry is nothing short of spectacular, and is easily one of the show’s most defining and innovative elements. From shadow puppetry to robotic creature augmentation, the technical design pushes boundaries.
The all-Queensland cast includes Milena Nesic as Theo, alongside Louise Brehmer, Ngoc Phan, Anthony Standish, and Hsiao- Ling Tang playing a range of supporting characters with aplomb. Nesic captures both teenage vulnerability and steadfast resolve; the ensemble shifts effortlessly from panicked bystanders to caricatures of denial, showing sharp comic timing balanced by emotional instincts.
'We’re All Gonna Die!' serves as both a love letter to Brisbane and a wake-up call for a changing planet. Its comedic take on apocalypse invites reflection without preaching, wrapped in joyful chaos. It’s a stand-out concept demonstrating how local narratives can powerfully intersect with global issues through inventive storytelling.
It’s funny, frantic, and unflinchingly urgent, precisely the kind of theatre that makes La Boite an enduring force in Australian arts.
