Toxic masculinity is at the heart of a new Australian play written, directed and starring Josh McDowell, which follows two troubled men in their early 20s. Sam (Finn McBurney), who was raised by his father, has had major anger issues since his dad re-partnered and dumped him with his mother. She, Evelyn (Ely Roufos), is hardly the most tolerant person in the world. Mother and son don’t get along.
Now Sam works as a chef at a restaurant, alongside his bartender girlfriend Joy (Izzy Estoppey), who is soon to complete her law degree. But Sam lands up in jail after bashing a guy who sexually assaulted Joy at the eatery. He is also into self-harm, having deliberately burnt his hand at work. Awaiting trial, he is unexpectedly bailed by a former childhood friend, Jesse (Josh McDowell).
Jesse has his own anger issues after his older brother Henry burnt to death in a tragic house fire. That happened after his family moved from the city to the country when Jesse was in grade 5. Years later, they returned to the city, where Jesse became secretive and withdrawn. But, in a fit of pique on his first day back at university, Jesse lashed out and hit a stranger who offered him condolences on Henry’s passing.
A therapist (Jono Lawrence) points to a grim future for Henry unless he finds a way through. This also plays out in projections of a burning car that is revisited time and again throughout the production. Now the two “bad seeds”, who could be gay or bisexual, bond. A separate thread sees Joy’s bestie Paige (Ella Curtis-Webster), a self-doubting actor, decide to move to Los Angeles to try to forge a career there.
There is a lot to try to unpack in Find the Fire Dogs. The central tenet is certainly a worthy subject to pursue, but I struggled to piece everything together because I found the play disjointed. It moves back and forth in time, unfolding through a series of vignettes, interspersed with some physical theatre.
One of the high points of the piece is an elongated, up tempo dance sequence, in which everyone – there are seven actors – appears happy. That is when the performers are at their most natural. But truth be told, I couldn’t understand where that fitted into the tenor of the work. I believe the narrative threads running through the play need to be clearer … more readily defined, especially when it comes to Jesse’s character.
Some of the actors are stronger than others. Some pushed too hard and I could tell they were acting. Others didn’t project well enough, their speech subjugated by what should have been background music, but was immediately overwhelming. I also felt that the pacing of Find the Fire Dogs needed to quicken. At times, it was languid.
So, while there is much that underpins the offering, it would have been more compelling if tightened. It didn’t need to be 90 minutes. I regard it as a work in progress – with the potential to be even stronger and more powerful, but a struggle to bring from concept to reality. It is on at The MC Showroom until 15th November, 2026.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Cutting Onions (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
- Caress/Ache (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
- Untitled Three-Hander (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.