Some stories hit you right in the gut — not just because they’re powerful, but because they remind you how recently the world was a very different place. Fly Girl is one of those stories. It takes the true account of Deborah Lawrie, Australia’s first female commercial pilot, and turns it into something bold, funny, deeply moving, and utterly unforgettable.
Set in the late 1970s, the play follows Lawrie, a young woman who’s dreamed of flying since she could barely see over the cockpit. But when she applies to Ansett Airlines, she’s told again and again that women simply don’t belong in the pilot’s seat. It’s the era when flight attendants were expected to smile, serve drinks, and never challenge the men at the controls.
Most people would have accepted defeat. Deborah Lawrie didn’t. At just 25, she took on one of the biggest corporations in Australia — and won the country’s first major sex discrimination case under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act. Her courage changed the future for women in aviation forever.
What makes Fly Girl remarkable is how it tells this story. Instead of going for straight drama, writers and performers Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore inject humor and heart into every scene. The absurdity of the 1970s workplace sexism becomes both laugh-out-loud funny and painfully real. One moment you’re chuckling at the ridiculousness of the “boys’ club,” and the next, you’re holding your breath as Deborah faces the full force of corporate power.
Visually, the production is a knockout. Designer Grace Deacon nails the look and feel of the golden age of flying — the crisp uniforms, the flared trousers, the retro patterns, and the glimmering departure boards that keep the story in motion. Morgan Moroney’s lighting brings cinematic intensity, especially during the courtroom and media frenzy scenes.
Directed by Janine Watson, Fly Girl is powered by an incredible cast of five actors who together play more than 50 roles. That sounds like chaos, but it never is. Each transformation is clear and purposeful, and the ensemble’s chemistry is electric. Cleo Meinck, who carries the show as Deborah, gives a performance that’s raw, vulnerable, and fiercely inspiring — the kind that stays with you long after the lights go down.
Clocking in at around two and a half hours, the play never drags for a moment. It’s gripping, funny, emotional, and full of life. Honestly, it’s hard to think of anything I’d change.
And here’s the thing: Fly Girl doesn’t just deserve applause — it deserves a film adaptation. Everything about it screams cinematic. It’s got drama, humor, nostalgia, and a heroine whose determination reshaped history. This could easily stand alongside Australian classics like Muriel’s Wedding or The Castle — stories that define a nation’s voice.
I’ll say it plainly: this is the best play I’ve seen all year. Fly Girl is inspiring, empowering, and exhilarating from takeoff to landing. It’s not just a story about one woman’s fight to fly — it’s about daring to rise above the limits others set for you. Make no mistake: Fly Girl doesn’t just soar. It deserves to take flight on the big screen.