Gamilaroi woman Megan Wilding’s mainstage writing debut is best enjoyed knowing very little about this flirty will-they-won’t-they tale with a twist.

As the too-revealing program of Game. Set. Match. suggests, writing about it meaningfully without saying too much may be impossible. I’ll tread carefully, but be warned.

Megan Wilding and Rick Davies in GAME. SET. MATCH. Photo © Gianna Rizzo

Best known as an actor, including in STC/Malthouse’s Blackie Blackie Brown, Wilding has written a clever script that won the 2021 Griffin Award for Australian Playwriting.

For Malthouse’s world premiere season of Game. Set. Match. directed by former STC resident director Jessica Arthur, Wilding is also on stage opposite Rick Davies (TV’s Offspring).

This two-hander opens with young Aboriginal woman Ray cleaning up after the wake of tennis legend Betty Hughes. She’s surprised by the too-late arrival of Joshua, CFO of Betty’s charitable foundation.

Although they seem mismatched, sparks fly as Ray and Joshua get talking and very slowly reveal themselves. When that twist comes, it’s apparent each has kept a great deal hidden, and layers of meaning about colonisation, power and violence are unveiled.

For all the subterfuge this story is told with clarity. Driven by appealing, naturalistic banter with some smart tennis analogies and puns, it’s funny, intriguing and offers little nuggets that resonate later.

Some of these, such as the repeated Hamlet references, ultimately don’t ring true, and a few plot elements the story hinges on are implausible. This, and the rather heavy-handed way the twist plays out, is reminiscent of film writer-director Emerald Fennell’s flawed revenge thrillers.

Rick Davies and Megan Wilding in GAME. SET. MATCH. Photo © Gianna Rizzo

Wilding is compelling as bold, quirky Ray; she’s a master of gestures and glances that are comic or calculating. Davies is assured on Joshua’s rollercoaster journey: unsettled by Ray, drawn to her, charming, then off in a very different, demanding direction.

Game. Set. Match. is deftly staged from the get-go, when Wilding and Davies stand on opposite sides of the intimate stage, engaged in a proverbial rally of dialogue. The audience is all but forced to look left and right, left and right like it’s a tennis match.

Starting out as a pleasant, open room, Isla Shaw’s agile set draws the actors together when a bar booth is whisked forward, then spun around to reveal a bathroom. Amelia Lever-Davidson’s lighting and Rainbow Chan’s sound lend authenticity to each space and enhance the mood.

Shaw’s costumes neatly amplify the characters: Joshua’s suit speaks of privilege, Ray’s ensemble suggests non-conformity. This production doesn’t try to be abstruse; it’s all about letting the story and characters reveal themselves.

Although it would benefit from a little more subtlety through its end game, Game. Set. Match. proves to be an entertaining psychological striptease that showcases Megan Wilding as a talent to watch.

GAME. SET. MATCH. plays at Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne until 23 May.