Published in 1995, Loaded was an extraordinary debut for author Christos Tsiolkas, and still endures as a modern classic of Australian literature.

Adapted for the big screen by Ana Kokkinos in 1998, it was destined for the stage three years ago before COVID intervened, so Malthouse Theatre kept the project afloat as an audio play. Finally, it has come alive with a breakout performance by Danny Ball.

Danny Ball in Loaded. Photo © Tamarah Scott

This Loaded is a one-hander co-written by Tsiolkas and Dan Giovannoni, who adapted the author’s short story collection, Merciless Gods, for Little Ones Theatre in 2019. That production’s director, Stephen Nicolazzo, is also at the helm here.

The play follows young Greek-Australian Ari on a hedonistic 24 hours around Melbourne. He clashes with his family, takes a variety of illicit drugs, has casual sex with several men, and fleetingly hangs out with various friends and acquaintances.

A hyperactive misanthrope who is uncomfortable with his sexuality and just about everything else that he could claim as his identity, Ari lives in the early 2020s rather than the...