Queensland Theatre Co. serves up some tasty Asian humour with Benjamin Law’s Torch the Place. While the cast maybe Asian, the story is universal … it’s about familial love, familial dynamics and aging parents – told through the lens of hoarding. It’s humorous, heart wrenching and thought provoking.
Matriarch Diana’s 60th birthday brings her children to their Gold Coast home to celebrate. But dutiful oldest Teresa (Denise Chan), favourite social influencer Natalie (Kristie Nguy), soon to be outed Toby (Logan So), and tradesman Paul (Peter Thurnwald), Teresa’s husband, have other ideas. They plan to address the elephant in the crowded house – Diana’s (Hsiao-Ling Tang) hoarding.
Kudo to set designer Jeremy Allen who filled the ‘living room’ with junk towers crammed with 1990s items– Lady Di ashtray, Humphrey B. Bear doll, games and magazines.
Hoarding is symptomatic of trauma—and in Torch the Place, the trauma is revealed through song, dance, and game show: their father’s desertion. The result is Diana’s compulsion to keep everything – which is now a health issue, and her children reason a skip and many hands will clear the clutter thus solving Diana’s problem. But it’s not quite that simple.
As the family sift through the items, memories are unlocked. Good and bad. The children come to understand their cultural and emotional significance – they appreciate their meaning if not their materiality.
Torch the Place is as Aussie as. Anyone who lived in the 1990s will enjoy the cultural references and jokes—if not, ask older relatives about Hey Hey It’s Saturday. While the migrant experience is front and centre, hoarding and family love are universal.
Director Ngoc Phan deftly guides the actors through the maze of pathos, heartbreak and fun. All give great performances and Denise Chan is outstanding.
It’s a great opening for the 2026 Season – next up is The Sapphires starting 28th April.
Torch the Place
Til 29th March
Bille Brown Theatre
