Queer one-man musical Sonder is making its world premiere in Sydney later this month.
The coming-of-age musical is set inside a pulsing nightclub as protagonist Romeo explores love, loss, club culture, whakapapa, and survival.
Not only is it the world premiere of the new musical, but it is also the debut production of Berlage & Co, a new theatre company committed to ”creating thrilling, contemporary theatrical experiences.”
Written and performed by Riki Lindsey, with music by Mitchell Sloan, the musical blends live electronic music, ancestral chants, Mau Rākau, and raw storytelling.
Lindsey says he was drawn to create the show after watching people in his own life go through various life stages that force transformation.
“I was driven to create Sonder after watching people in my life move through moments that completely destabilised them, and then slowly learning new ways of rebuilding and transforming,” he said.
“It made me question what it really takes to stay present in your own body when love, identity, and belonging have all felt unsafe.”
The show will premiere at The Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo, Australia’s only remaining pub theatre, which Lindsey said was perfect for the story.
“It’s an intimate space that allows the audience to sit right inside the world of the piece, there’s nowhere to hide, and that’s exactly what this story asks of us.”
The show is directed by Alexander Berlage, who previously won four Sydney Theatre Awards with his 2023 production of A Streetcar Named Desire, with movement direction by Fetu Taku.
Berlage said he was thrilled to return to the Old Fitz to premiere this new work.
“Riki Lindsey and Mitchell Sloan have created a piece that feels both electric and immediate, blending the pulse of a nightclub with a deeply human story about culture, identity, and queerness, and what it means to stay present in yourself when the world asks you to disappear,” he said.
“It honestly feels like a glimpse into the future of Australian music theatre, and I can’t think of a better place than the Old Fitz to share this premiere; it’s the perfect space for a work that is so up close, so personal, and so alive.”
Berlage said it was rare to come across a show that feels this fresh, and he hoped the audience walked away feeling that too.
“There’s a rawness and urgency to it that really stayed with me, and I think audiences will feel that too, particularly in the way it holds space for complex, layered experiences of self and belonging,” he said.
That sentiment is echoed by Lindsey, who said the show was deeply personal in feeling, shaped by observations and by people.
“I hope audiences walk away from our production feeling like they’ve experienced something far incredibly unique and visceral, something that will live on in the mind and body,” he said.
“More than anything, I hope it reminds people that there are many ways to tell a story, by pushing the boundaries of what a musical can be through modern music, staging, and perspective.”
The show runs from May 15 until May 23, with tickets on sale now via the Old Fitz Theatre website.
