James Elazzi has carved out a reputation as one of Australia’s most compelling contemporary playwrights, known for bringing marginalised voices to the stage with depth, dignity and bruising honesty. With Son of Byblos, now playing at the Meat Market Stables, he turns his gaze inward, presenting what feels like his most personal work to date.
Set in the heart of a Lebanese-Australian household, the play follows Adam (Amir Yacoub), a young gay man trying to balance cultural expectations, family obligations, and his own yearning for freedom. When his cousin Claire (Anna Kaleeda Rashid) announces she will marry a man to conceal her own queerness, Adam’s carefully maintained silence begins to unravel. What unfolds is a story steeped in love, shame, resilience, and the painful weight of unspoken truths.
Elazzi is an essential voice in Australian theatre, one of the few writing unapologetically about queer identity within migrant communities. The dialogue is sharp and authentic, capturing the rhythms of family life and the deep, unarticulated fractures that ripple beneath the surface. The themes – duty, denial, and the cost of survival in a culture where queerness is still taboo – resonate powerfully, offering both specificity and universality.
The performances, too, hold the audience. Yacoub’s Adam is understated but deeply affecting, a young man torn between devotion and self-preservation. Rashid gives Claire a quiet steeliness, her pragmatism a heartbreaking foil to Adam’s hesitancy.
Marjan Mesbahi and Amir Rahimzadeh bring textured performances as Adam’s parents, Carol and John, navigating love and repression in equal measure. Steffi Gil, as Adam’s ex Angela, provides a much-needed counterpoint, a voice from outside the family’s suffocating dynamics.
Danny R Arif’s direction is haphazard and underpowered, unable to sustain the tension Elazzi’s text demands. Awkward scene changes break the rhythm of the play, and the staging, while simple, feels more unfinished than intentional. Sina Salsali’s lighting design is inconsistent, muddying moments that should land with clarity. In contrast, Xaz’s sound design is thoughtful and evocative – one of the few elements that consistently supports the storytelling.
Son of Byblos is far from flawless in its staging, yet the strength of Elazzi’s writing and the earnestness of the cast ensure it remains a thought-provoking night of theatre. This is a story that needs to be told, not just for what it reveals about migrant families and queer identity, but for what it says about the struggle to be seen and accepted.
Son of Byblos
Meat Market Stables, 2 Wreckyn Street, North Melbourne
Performance: Friday 5 September 2025
Season continues to 14 September 2025
Bookings: www.eventbrite.com.au
For more information, visit: www.asaminatheatre.com for details.
Image: Amir Yacoub and Anna Kaleeda Rasheed feature in Son of Byblos – photo by Magenta 35
Review: Rohan Shearn