Conceived in the 2016-17 interregnum between the Obama and Trump presidencies, during which Trump promised to roll back key Obama-era policies pertaining to the LGBTIQ communities, Sydney audiences get to see The Inheritance as history threatens to repeat.

Playwright Matthew López divides the work into two parts, with each divided by two intervals in this production. Viewed in one day, it’s an engrossing, frequently moving and saltily funny binge-watch.

Part One introduces us to the main characters, principally a not-for-profit lawyer, Eric Glass (Teale Howie) and his live-in lover Toby Darling (Ryan Panizza), a writer turning his hit gay novel into a stage show. Around them orbit a gaggle of friends with whom we become better acquainted as the story unfolds. 

Teale Howie and Ryan Panizza in The Inheritance. Photo © Phil Erbacher

Late to the gathering is Adam (Tom Rodgers), attempting to swap a shopping bag picked up by mistake. Later still, we meet Walter Poole (Simon Burke), an elderly neighbour who leaves a lasting impression on Eric.

And then there’s the English novelist E.M. Forster (Burke again), an avuncular presence from a century prior, observing the young men with...