Presented by Tea Tree Players
Reviewed 8 April 2026
In 2024 Tea Tree Players presented their award-winning production (the Theatre Association of South Australia’s ComiCAL Award for Best Comedy) of Simon Williams’ comedy Nobody’s Perfect. Their latest production and the first off the rank for their 2026 season is the sequel, Nobody’s Fool – equally hilarious but with a touch more romance and poignancy (just the right amount). Because of Williams’ clever and succinct placing of the previous plot exposition in Act One, Nobody’s Fool stands alone. I tested this theory out with the lady seated next to me on opening night, who hadn’t seen the first play and thoroughly enjoyed this one, fully understanding what was going on.
Nobody’s Perfect saw our hero, stuffy statistician Lenny Loftus, winning a writing competition to have his romance novel published. The only problem was that since the publishing house was feminist, the author had to be female and make public appearances – enter Myrtle Banbury (alias Lenny). Nobody’s Fool takes place a few years later. Myrtle is now a very successful and much more stylish writer than in the previous play – Lenny, however, is still a stodgy, boring statistician. He’s still living with his daughter Dee Dee and his father, the always scheming Gus; but this time around he has to contend with his ex-wife Fran, and a bigger-than-life television presenter who insists on interviewing him and Myrtle in the same room at the same time (see the problem?).
Having directed the 2024 hit, Theresa (Lilly) Dolman has wisely decided to direct this production as well – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Her direction is smooth as glass and equally as polished and her attention to detail (there’s live fish on the stage!) carries over to her connection with her cast and their characterisations.
Sticking with her “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” theory, Dolman has gathered up her previous cast (Gavin Cianci, Rick Mills, Charlie Klose and Hayley Mitchell) with the newcomer to the plot, Michelle Hrvatin. Cianci as Lenny/Myrtle shows off his acting chops once again, but this time around showing us more of his serious side as Lenny but still hilariously funny as Myrtle (he seems more stylish and beautiful this time round as well – as Myrtle that is!!). Mills basically steals the show as Gus – he is just so natural and lovable (and hilarious) that this reviewer could easily adopt him as my grandfather. Klose as Dee Dee once again captures perfectly the quintessential modern day teenager going through hassles with her no-hoper boyfriend. Klose’s chemistry with Cianci, Mills and Mitchell is totally believable and spot on. Mitchell has perhaps the hardest task of all in this production, but achieves it brilliantly. Although she was in Nobody’s Perfect as Harriet, Lenny’s publisher and potential love interest, in Nobody’s Fool she is playing his ex-wife Fran (a ploy by Dolman to keep the original cast together – if it ain’t broke etc, etc). Having seen Mitchell play both roles, she pulls it off with ease. Hrvatin is a lovely, suitably over-the-top addition (love the turban!) to the cast as television host Leticia Butters – think Kerri-Anne Kennerley. She melds with the rest of the cast wonderfully. Her Act Two opening scene, in particular, with Mills is hilarious and shows fantastic chemistry between them.
Dolman’s set is extremely workable, portraying supposedly a two-storey house on one level cleverly. The technical aspects of this play could easily be a nightmare, Act Two in particular. But kudos must go to Zack Brittan (Lighting & Sound Design) and Chelsea Da Ros (Lighting & Sound Operation) for their fine work and absolute spot-on timing – no nightmare here). Costumes courtesy of Merici Thompson , The Monday Club and the cast are very modern and spectacularly colourful (again, love the turban!).
Once again, Tea Tree Players have presented an hilarious, warm the cockles of your heart, feel good production. Don’t be anybody’s fool and go see Nobody’s Fool.
Reviewed by Brian Godfrey
Venue: Tea Tree Players Theatre
Season: Until 18 April 2026
Duration: 2hours 15 min (including a 20 min interval)
Tickets: $19 – $22
Bookings: https://teatreeplayers.com/production/nobodys-fool/
