Theatre Review: Do Not Pass Go

The Performance: Do Not Pass Go by Jean Tong

The Theatre: The Lawlor, Southbank

Runtime: 75 Minutes

Stars: 4

The 2026 MTC program has got off to a good start with this little gem of a play. But this, I mean that this play, staged in the less used Lawler Theatre - a smaller, more intimate place is worth a look. Within the Lawler's proscenium arch two actors put on a wonderful performance about the people we work with, and how they slowly become a part of us. 

There were also a lot of themes which struck a chord. Working to live. Neurodiversity, sexual identity, families, and the live to work mentality that can be a part of some workplaces. A lot of it was really relatable. 

At the start of the play, we meet the prickly Penny (Belinda McCrory) who is busy doing what looks like her pointless job in a non-descript office. She is joined by Flux (Ella Prince), Penny's new workmate. Penny was happy working on her own. Flux challenges a lot of her thinking. Flux is everything Penny is not. Young, queer, wanting more. Penny's had a lot of her desires beaten out of her. Flux is just starting out and wanting more of the world. 

Both actors are great. For me, I understood McCrory's Penny almost at a cellular level, while Ella Prince's Flux let us into a very different life and lifestyle, which Penny eventually begins to understand and appreciate. I've seen Prince in Bell Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They're great.

Within the hour and a quarter of the play, we really get to the root of work relationships look like. Starting from that person you only tolerate, through to the person you count on more than almost anybody else, all they while performing pointless tasks which never quite meet management expectations. Yep, that's work. 

The minimalist set - a very boring office and warehouse space is also part of this play's charm. Windowless, and unadorned, how are people supposed to thrive?

Jean Tong's acerbic script is darkly funny, putting a spotlight on modern workplaces and the relationships they create. I also liked that the two protagonists had identifiable struggles - Penny's neurodiversity rang a lot of bells for me. 

Directed by Katy Maudlin, this play keeps you entertained for its duration. The Lawler Theatre, a more intimate black box space that seats around 160 people, felt good. This smaller space drives home the eventual intimacy that grows between these two colleagues. 

As I said, the MTC is off to a good start this year. 

Today's song: