Housework Turns Political Compromise into Sharp Comedy

Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Emily Steel’s comedy Housework is playing at the Sydney Opera House’s Drama Theatre until 17 October. Following its 2025 Adelaide production, the play follows Ruth Mandour, a former nurse and first-term MP galvanised into politics after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Played by Susie Youssef, Ruth is committed to equity in health but must negotiate the compromises of office. Her proposed legislation would require companies to include women in clinical trials, while workplace tensions, leaks, rumours and a growing scandal test the limits of political loyalty.

Emily Taheny plays Ruth’s stretched chief of staff, Anna, while Franca Lafosse is junior staffer Kelly. The three performers reprise their roles from the Adelaide production, with Laurence Boxhall, Indira Naidoo and Johnny Nasser also appearing in the ensemble.

In its review of the Sydney production, The Guardian describes Housework as a breezy comedy with a steely core. The review argues that the play takes time to find its footing before gathering force in a second act driven by twists, political manoeuvring and the central scandal.

Directed by Shannon Rush, the production makes room for comic detail as well as the pressure beneath it. Ailsa Paterson’s design evokes Parliament House through sleek columns, stone walls and a chamber table, while Nigel Levings’ lighting and Andrew Howard’s compositions shape the shifts between back-room deals and high-stakes confrontation.

At its centre, Housework asks how much change is possible within political systems, and what women are required to sacrifice to pursue it. Its political scenarios belong to the play, but its tensions around power, agency and compromise are recognisably designed to unsettle.