Written by J.M. Barrie, the Scottish novelist and playwright who had himself quite a year in 1902 — producing “Crichton” for the stage and introducing “Peter Pan” in a novel that he’d turn into a play two years later — it had a hint of 19th and 20th century boogeyman Karl Marx in its class-upending story of a “Downton” era English servant, shipwrecked with his master’s family on a desert island and proving himself not only their equal, but their superior in every way in terms of social usefulness, intelligence, humility and compassion.
The Admirable Crichton
The Admirable Crichton is set at the beginning of the twentieth century. It begins in an English drawing room, goes to a desert island and then comes back to England! Period plays are neither easy nor inexpensive to mount, especially for a community theatre, BUT Steven Hopley and his creative team have taken the challenge and cannily made it happen!
Written by J.M.Barrie and first produced in London in 1902, The Admirable Crichton is based on an idea suggested to Barrie by a comment from Arthur Conan Doyle: “If a king and an able seaman were wrecked on a desert island for the rest of their lives, the sailor would end as king and the monarch as his servant.” And that’s what happens. It goes like this …
Lord Loam and his three daughters entertain the domestic staff once a month. Following one of these occasions the family, the butler, Crichton, and one of the maids take off on a yacht cruise. When they are shipwrecked on a deserted island, practical Crichton takes over and after two years has set up a comfortable little settlement where he is the “Guv” … until they are rescued by a passing ship and …
Jack Woodford and Tom Fahy have cleverly designed and built a set that moves them from a stately home, complete with columns, to their first days on the island, complete with palm trees, to a tropical compound, then back to the formal living room. All is artfully detailed, requiring minimal “turn around” time by the very organised stage crew. Lighting and sound designer Ethan Chan subtly highlights the changes in differing tone and texture.
Susan Carveth, with some assistance from Imogen Kalmus, has worked her usual magic with not only the very stylish turn-of-the century costumes, but “before” and “after” island attire – for a cast of thirteen! Carveth has an eye for detail and colour and has cunningly chosen fabrics that achieve the contrast between the “silks and satins” of Edwardian England with tropical greens and browns of a makeshift, tropical community.
Andrew Eddey makes an admirable Genesian debut as Crichton. He establishes the formality of the typical butler with very contained stance, movement and voice, subtly changing it to a sort of subversive arrogance as he establishes control on the island – then back to a slightly less subservient Crichton in the final scenes.
Timothy Bennett makes Lord Loam a little dotty but very much aware of his social standing, the original “dottiness” manifesting itself as he adjusts to his change in status on the island. There, Bennett makes Loam just a little stunned and confused, a diminished figure that brightens perceptively as he realises rescue – and return to status – is at hand.
Amy Tustian is his daughter, Lady Mary, who is outspoken and a little rebellious. Tustian shows this particularly as she adjusts more easily to the change in social status on the island than do her sisters, Lady Agatha (Brook Taylor Moore) and Lady Catherine (Hannah Heading). All three sustain the stature and accent of their class, as well as a little petulance and competitiveness.
The “clown” of the social set is Mr Ernest Woolley, and Jono Lukins has a great time with this character’s jokes and pranks. Lukins moves easily of the stage and has a nice sense of pace and comedic timing.
Isabelle Serafim is Tweeny, the maid who has been given the task of serving all three sisters on the cruise. Serafim makes her Tweeny more aware than she acts, a little smarter than she seems.
Alex Creagh is Mr Treherne, the local parson who also joins the cruise, while Alex Castello is Lady Mary’s almost fiancé, who stays behind with his overbearing but perceptive mother, played with elegant panache by Liz Grindley.
John Benjamin, James Mullin and Emily Chifley play minor but very clear supporting roles – and assist the other cast and crew with clearly choreographed and rehearsed set changes.
Steven Hopely has directed with a mind to the stature, carriage and articulation of the time in this production that captures J.M.Barrie’s social satire and creates some nice stage pictures of the time.
If the title or the story sound familiar, The Admirable Crichtonhas been adapted several times on radio and television and four times on film – but Hopely and his enthusiastic creatives and cast are bringing it back to life for the next month at Genesian’s new home at Rozelle. Check out booking details on their website www.genesiantheatre.com.au
Carol Wimmer
The Admiral Crichton, J.N Barrie’s comedy about social class and division is just as relevant today as it was when first performed in London in 1902, with the 2022 Palm D’or winning film The Triangle of Sadness using Barrie’s story as a framework.
Crichton, played by Andrew Eddey, is the loyal butler to the Earl of Loam (Timothy Bennett), who doesn’t believe in the natural order of class divisions. His fellow aristocrats are embarrassed by his monthly tea parties where servants are treated as equals. Despite the ideology of his socially progressive master, Crichton himself believes that class and rank are the natural conditions of civilisation. When the Loam family along with two of their servants take a pleasure cruise, they find themselves wrecked on a tropical island, where natural capacity towards survival changes the rank of each person in the group. The resourceful and handy Crichton finds himself at the top of the new social order, leading to a range of moral and ethical choices amongst the castaways. You can see where Gilligan’s Island got their ideas from, like being able to build some of the modern luxuries of civilisation out of coconuts and driftwood.
The staging was great, with each environment brought to life by the set design and construction team. All the technical details such as sound and lighting were also superb, so the backstage team did a commendable job to support the performers. The direction by Steven Hopley was strong, bringing the story to life with a natural sense of timing, but I found that some of the humour was lost in the desire to use appropriate accents. The choice of delivery for some of the dialogue was also a little confusing at times, but that could just be a matter of taste. The performers still did a great job with each character. They were all well cast and seemed to be having lots of fun on stage. Andrew Eddy played the eponymous Crichton with an air of calm intelligence and dignity befitting a dedicated butler, while Timothy Bennett perfectly embodied the endearing, socialist-leaning Lord Loam. While I liked all the cast, the particular standouts for me were Amy Tustian as Lady Mary, one of Lord Loam’s three aristocratic daughters who becomes Crichton’s island fling, and Isabelle Serafim, playing the maid Tweeny.
The story has now been explored in all sorts of productions since it was first performed, and while the topic is no longer new or controversial, it’s still a fun evening at the theatre with some great performances and light-hearted comedy that carries with it a message we shouldn’t forget.
The Admirable Crichton is currently playing at the Genesian Theatre in Rozelle until the 16th of May.
The Admirable Crichton
Written By:
J.M. Barrie
Directed By:
Steven Hopley
Playing From:
10 April – 16 May 2026
Synopsis
What happens when Edwardian aristocrats and their unflappable butler are stranded on a desert island? In Barrie’s delicious satire, the social order flips upside-down in ways both hilarious and revealing. Think Downton Abbey meets Survivor: witty, playful, and packed with class-skewering fun. Light, bright, and utterly charming!
Dates and Times
Preview: Friday, 10 April 2026
Opening Night: Saturday, 11 April 2026
Closing Night: Saturday, 16 May 2026
The Friday and Saturday shows start at 7.30 pm
The Sunday show starts at 4.30 pm
Running Time
TBA
Production Credits
| Director | Steven Hopley |
| Lighting Design | Ethan Chan |
| Costumes | Susan Carveth |
| Set Builder | Tom Fahy |
| Props | Gregory George |
| Set Design | Jack Woodford |
| Hairstyling | Isabelle Serafim |
| Sound Design | Ethan Chan & Cian Byrne |
Cast
| Crichton | Andrew Eddy |
| Lady Mary | Amy Tustian |
| Ernest Woolley | Jono Lukins |
| Tweeny | Isabelle Serafim |
| Lord Loam | Timothy Bennett |
| Lady Agatha | Brook Taylor Moore |
| Lady Catherine | Hannah Heading |
| Mr Treherne | Alex Creagh |
| Lord Brocklehurst | Alex Castello |
| Lady Brocklehurst | Liz Grindley |
| Miss Fisher | Emily Chifley |
| Mr Tompsett | John Benjamin |
| Naval Officer | James Mullin |
| Monsieur Fleury | Jack Woodford |