The intricate script is at times flattened by Kip Williams’s direction, which tends towards broad brush strokes rather than a forensic commitment to emotion. Particularly in Part One, Williams wallows in the play’s humour but tends to shy away from its pathos. With such a long play, it is understandable why he chose this path: the first four hours rollick along so seamlessly you barely register the passage of time, but Williams’s direction often feels as though the production is afraid of its own potential to evoke grief, loss, and longing. The direction is subtler in Part Two, with the actors given more space to explore their characters’ inner lives, but there are deeper layers to Mulvany’s writing, and these feel unexplored.

Jack Ruwald and Heather Mitchell in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Harp in the South (photo by Daniel Boud)

The nineteen-person cast evokes the Surry Hills community beautifully and with admirable flexibility. All the actors are well-cast and each of them skilfully handles multiple characters across an expansive timeline. Rose Riley’s depiction of Roie – the eldest child of the Darcy family, who feels ‘like an island’ floating through the rough streets – balances her quiet strength with the desperate confusion of a young woman finding her way in the world. Contessa Treffone portrays Roie’s younger sister Dolour with humour and spirit, transforming her across the decades from whirlwind child to self-assured young woman. Margaret – the big-hearted matriarch of the Darcy family – is conjured with grace and complexity by Anita Hegh, who makes Margaret’s stoic suppression of grief and rage feel like an extra member of the household, until it boils over during a scene in Part Two that is among the best moments in the play. As Hughey, Jack Finsterer charts a heartbreaking descent from the earnest hope of the young provider, to the unrelenting despair of the ageing drunk – trapped as he is by the deadening mid-century expectations of manhood that gives him no room for connection. Heather Mitchell’s performance as Eny Kilker will resonate deeply in the hearts of anyone with an Irish grandmother, and Helen Thompson brings the notorious madam Delie Stock to life with empathy and compassion.

Anita Hegh and Jack Finsterer in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Harp in the South (photo by Daniel Boud)

David Fleischer has designed a stark, expansive two-storey set that shifts from home to streetscape to city skyline, but mostly the stage is bare. This is a clever, bold move that allows the actors and Nick Schlieper’s beautiful lighting to do much of the storytelling. Renée Mulder’s period costume design is touchingly personal to each character – no easy task with such a large cast.

The cast of Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Harp in the South (photo by Daniel Boud)

The Harp in the South remains fiercely relevant. It balances riotous humour with deep human connection, but also confronts the issues of sexism, racism, and gentrification that dominate contemporary debates. Kate Mulvany’s adaptation is an astonishing achievement that will doubtless leave an indelible mark on the Australian theatre landscape.

The Harp in the South is being performed at the Roslyn Packer Theatre by Sydney Theatre Company from 27 August to 6 October 2018. Performance attended: August 25.

ABR Arts is generously supported by The Ian Potter Foundation and the ABR Patrons.