Female middle age crashes into the beauty/wellness industry in this new play by Marieke Hardy, who has chosen material ripe for satire and squandered it.

Director Leticia Cáceres and a cast that includes Christie Whelan Browne do their best to make it work, but more often than not the MTC commission’s comedy lacks bite.

Losing Face: Madeleine Sami, Michala Banas and Christie Whelan Browne. Photo © Pia Johnson

Losing Face sees Jo celebrating her 50th by inviting besties Lauren and Simone on an all-expenses-paid luxury wellness weekend. It’s a long overdue catch-up for these friends whose lives have taken different directions.

Expecting spas and facials, they soon discover the retreat is for cosmetic procedures performed by biohacker Tomas. Together with his assistant/acolyte, he emotionally manipulates the women into getting work done – though not before they escape for a bender like old times.

Losing Face is marketed as a “perimenopausal Weekend at Bernie’s”, so no surprise there’s a dead body to prop up like in the 1980s film. It’s just one of the farcical elements in this play.

It’s peppered with lines...