With sexual fluidity becoming more a open topic of discussion and exploration, it’s quite surprising how revelatory something like Gravity still feels in 2025; Bradford Elmore‘s sexual celebratory romantic dramedy that flips the usual boy-meets-girl narrative with a boy-meets-boy-meets-girl layering.
A tale of two distinct love stories unfolding simultaneously, Gravity initially sets up the meet-cute between Heather (Annabelle Kablean, comedically and dramatically sublime) and Christopher (Wesley Senna Cortes, the former television Bachelor proving there’s a wealth of talent and emotional weight behind his striking aesthetics), the two waxing lyrical about literature in between playful, flirtatious banter; the setting itself a mere reflective stage, bare walls, and only a handful of props.
It’s this creative decision to strip the stage free of any production distraction that helps the characters’ plights transcend, with Kablean and Cortes, initially, unable to hide any of their raw emotions as their 10-year anniversary is marred with unexpected outside interference. Unfortunately for Heather, she’s clueless to the fact that Christopher has strayed, meeting the alluring David (a confident Drew Wilson) on one of his out-of-town business ventures. What starts out as a flirtation transforms into an intimate meeting of one’s man curiosity (Christopher) and another’s intention (David), though, speaking to Elmore’s respectful script, this never becomes about a presumably straight man’s kink, or a gay man’s conquest – it’s a deeply complicated union that Christopher agonisingly navigates across the show’s 70 minutes.
Whilst the simplicity of the stage set-up and the cyclical nature of its narrative may irk audiences expecting a more traditional outlay, director Anthony Skuse trusts the material and the dedication of his trio of actors, with the end result undeniably powerful in spite of seeming limitations. The conversations that Gravity will spark will linger long after the story has ended – with its final on stage image proving really quite joyous and optimistic. Getting to that point is a dramatic experience though, with Kablean, Cortes and Wilson all organically navigating what their individuals roles are in this unwilling love triangle, one that has been unintentionally formed by Christopher and his gradual embracement of what it is to be in love with two people of opposing sexes.
With Heather and David unwillingly pitted against each other in Christopher’s love story, it’s a testament to Elmore’s script and the performances of its cast that we stay as invested as we do in a story that is quite often emotionally devastating. Whilst Cortes’s Brazilian heritage is neatly folded into the story, adding to his character’s overall appeal, Christopher’s actions could feel easily inexcusable in spite of his attractiveness. Thankfully, Cortes always plays Christopher with such sincerity that we are always on his side, even when we may not want to be. He can’t help that he fell for David, but that love doesn’t replace his affection for Heather, it merely exists on a separate plane.
An extremely topical romance, Gravity is a love story that honours all facets of sexuality, presented in a manner that’s equally dramatic as it is droll (Kablean really has a knack for the witty one liner), feeling bigger and bolder than its modest staging may suggest.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Gravity is now playing at QTopia Sydney – The Loading Dock Theatre until November 29th, 2025. For more information and ticket prices, head to the official site here.
