For Sydney-siders, the term “cost of living” is usually followed by the word “crisis”. Such is life in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

In Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living, the struggle to make ends meet is just one of the ways that the concept is explored. “Cost” here also refers to the price many people must pay to participate in the world, to live a contributing life.

Premiering in Boston in 2016 and on Broadway in 2022, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows two parallel stories, each between two characters living in present-day New Jersey, USA.

Jess (Zoe De Plevitz), a Princeton graduate who already works several bar jobs at night is hired as a carer by John (Dan Daw), a wealthy PhD candidate with cerebral palsy. In parallel, we meet Eddie (Philip Quast), a truck driver who lost his license after driving drunk, and his estranged wife Ani (Kate Hood), who acquired a disability after an un-related car accident and now requires round-the-clock care.

With plenty of humour and no pity in sight, Majok weaves a compelling story about the human need for love, care, safety and above all, dignity. Majok’s dialogue is witty, thoughtful, and insightful in its exploration of...