Review: Heaven at The Loading Dock - Qtopia Sydney

Review by Nola Bartolo

I was lucky enough to catch Heaven by Eugene O’Brien at The Loading Dock, Qtopia Sydney—and it’s really stayed with me. It’s one of those plays that gets under your skin in the quietest of ways. Told through two deeply personal monologues—Mairead (Lucy Miller) and Mal (Noel Hodda)—the story unfolds without the characters ever speaking directly to each other. It’s an intimate and gutsy structure that pulls you right into their inner lives. I loved the approach! Still, I did find myself wondering what might have happened if they'd shared even one moment of connection—just a glance, a few words. But maybe that’s the whole point. It’s about the ache of disconnection, of lives that run parallel but never quite meet.

Lucy Miller was mesmerising as Mairead. There were a few times I had to really tune in to catch everything—partly because of the accent—but it didn’t take away from the performance. She had such control over the beat, the pauses, the silences. The emotion sat just under the surface, and when it broke through, it landed hard. As a woman in my 50s, I really felt her. That questioning—of identity, of purpose, of direction—doesn’t magically disappear with age. If anything, it sharpens. Lucy brought all of that out with honesty and tenderness.

And Noel Hodda as Mal—what a pleasure to see him on stage. I grew up watching him on telly, so seeing him live in such a close, personal setting was a bit special. He brought a beautiful stillness to the role. Mal’s a man who’s spent a lifetime burying things, and Noel gave us all of that—the regret, the self-protection, the little flickers of yearning. It was all there in the way he held a silence, or let a moment hang.

What really got me was seeing a story centred on characters in their 50s. It’s not something we see often enough. There’s a richness and complexity to that age—people who’ve lived, lost, loved, compromised, and are still trying to figure it all out. I felt seen. And I felt deeply moved.

Kate Gaul’s direction and design are beautifully stripped back—nothing unnecessary, just the actors, the words, and the space. Topaz Marlay-Cole’s lighting was spot on, setting the perfect tone. You could feel the care across the whole team—It all came together so seamlessly.

Heaven is a tender, haunting look at love, regret, and the versions of ourselves we never got to be. If you’ve ever felt stuck or wondered “what if?”, this play will hit home.

It’s running until 31 May—100 minutes, no interval—and absolutely worth your time.

Image Credit: Alex Vaughn