The show begins in complete darkness A sudden flash of bright lightning reveals the cast, each with a strategically placed item covering their modesty. Not for long though, as the audience soon greeted by the fully naked ensemble declaring, “We are naked, we are naturists”.

Nicholas Brown (Sid), Glenn Hazeldine (Ray), Fraser Morrison (Adam), Camila Ponte Alvarez (Evangeline) and Hannah Waterman (Helen) bravely bare all on stage.

Written by Ang Collins, Naturism is a wildly funny, absurdist comedy about a trio of eco-warriors living off-grid, and in the nude. Their 20-year peaceful existence is disrupted by an unexpected arrival: Evangeline, a TikTok activist with a short attention span, confessing she is a climate criminal. Desperate to shed her eco-anxiety, she seeks to abandon her phone and live guilt-free in their happy utopia.

The play is packed with laugh-out-loud comic moments. The entire cast excels, though Collins’ script gives Alvarez ample opportunity to shine as Evangeline spirals from phone withdrawals and self-induced remorse. Late entrant Morrison is equally strong as the self-absorbed youth who tunes out whenever the conversation drifts from his interests.

Director Declan Greene keeps the narrative steady while staging Waterman’s mushroom tripping scenes with gleeful abandon, bringing the animal kingdom to life in a psychedelic haze of madness.

The creative team elevates the production across every element. Lighting Designer Verity Hampson enhances the mood with vivid green, pink, purple washes that frame the action and heightens the play’s most dramatic entrances. Among the bird calls and sounds of nature, Sound Designer and Composer David Bergman introduces sweet 60’s tunes, that induce free-form dancing, carefully coordinated by Intimacy and Movement Director Chloe Dallimore. James Browne’s semi-circular set, fringed with dense greenery and carpeted with crunchy dry leaves, evokes an overgrown sanctuary. Browne, also the Costume Director, finds playful opportunities despite the nudity, with a delightful bumblebee costume perfectly suited to the hallucinatory sequence.

Unhinged, kooky, chaotic, Naturism will have you roaring with laughter.

4 stars

Running for 80 minutes (no interval).

Presented by Griffin Theatre in association with Sydney Theatre Company. Playing at Sydney Theatre Company, Wharf 4/5, 15 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay until 15 November 2025.

For tickets visit Griffin Theatre