Steven Moffat’s ‘The Unfriend’ premieres in Sydney

The Australian premiere of Steven Moffat’s debut stage comedy, ‘The Unfriend’, is currently playing at the Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre through October 31, 2026. Directed by Simon Phillips, the dark comedy follows an English couple, Peter and Debbie, who invite an American acquaintance, Elsa, to stay at their home, only to discover she is a suspected serial killer.

Critical reception for the production has been mixed. Some reviewers have praised the performance of Helen Thomson as Elsa and lauded Isabel Hudson’s scenography, with some outlets calling it a necessary escape. However, other critics have noted that the play relies heavily on the trope of excessive British politeness and includes sequences of vulgar toilet humour, suggesting a lack of intellectual or aesthetic sophistication.