The country’s most well-respected theatre critics have had their say, and they could not be bigger fans of this uproarious production.
"Funny? There has to be a stronger word? Funny? If I wasn't sitting down, I'd have fallen over. I mean, at one point I was crying." (The Sydney Morning Herald)
No Pay? No Way! is a gloriously irreverent but whip-smart piece of theatre that delivers laugh after laugh.
"The opening night audience clearly had an absolute ball, in fact I haven’t heard an audience laugh so loud for a long time." (★★★★ Limelight)
Winner of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Literature, Dario Fo wrote more than 80 plays in his lifetime. He’s remembered as a master of political satire, using farce and buffoonery to advance social justice.
"This is a very funny show… Overall it is a demonstration that Fo...has not lost his appeal." (The Australian)
Sarah is one of Sydney’s favourite directors. She’s brought multiple plays to STC stages, including; The Importance of Being Earnest, Accidental Death of An Anarchist, The Popular Mechanicals, Perplex, Mrs Warren’s Profession, Marriage Blanc, Money Shots, and Ruby Moon.
"Giles’ rendering of the play is relentlessly energetic, for scenes of hilarity that tickle us from start to end. Although the laughs are incessant, hearty and thoroughly enjoyable, not one moment goes by that lets us forget the politics being discussed. Giles is as cutting as she is funny..." (Suzy Goes See)
Hardy’s lively interpretation of Fo’s classic updates its dialogue and references while maintaining the energy and wit of the original.
"The script is beautifully true to the play’s roots with enough accordion, spoken and accented Italian and boiler-suited apparatchiks to satisfy any purist." (★★★★★ ArtsHub)
A gifted company of actors, including Glenn Hazeldine (Così), and Aaron Tsindos (The Tempest), bring a cast of hilarious characters to life.
"Hazeldine is marvellously funny as Giovanni...Tsindos generates ripples of delighted applause for his comically contrasting carabinieri and a goofy undertaker." (★★★★ AUDREY Journal)
Joining them is Mandy McElhinney, who last wowed STC audiences in The Tempest and Roman Delo, who proved his comic chops in Hubris and Humiliation.
When the play premiered in Milan, 1974, a group of local women said to be inspired by Fo’s play, took control of cash-registers and paid only what they believed was a fair price for the goods. Fo expressed his support for their actions calling the stores the real thieves.
"Hardy has really mined Fo’s play for all that it has to say politically and amplified what it has to say about the way that working-class bodies – particularly women’s bodies – are controlled by the state." (Time Out)
50 years after the original production in Italy, the sharp satire of this play has lost none of its relevance. Current soaring supermarket prices and a cost-of-living crisis leave this classic feeling thoroughly modern.
"The absurdist comedy...bridges gaps of time and space, for a magnificent new version that makes the story feel pertinent and surprisingly urgent." (Suzy Goes See).
The design of No Pay? No Way! is beautifully mid-century and evocative, setting the scene for a side-splitting 70’s joyride.
"The set, too, gets in on the act to the enormous delight of the spectators. Several times it gets its own applause." (★★★★★ ArtsHub).
Don’t just take the critics word for it, before the 2020 season was cut short, No Pay? No Way! received standing ovations from audiences swept up in the magic of this special production.
"We laughed solid for 2 hours. Highly recommended!" Catherine, via Facebook
"I was quite literally doubled over laughing..... Absolutely go see it." Nathaneal, via Twitter
"Funniest play ever. Laughing from beginning to end." Frances, via Facebook
No Pay? No Way! is on stage at Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 6 Apr.