JULIA Review: A Play About Julia Gillard

Every Australian who knows anything about our political history knows about Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech. 

Over a decade after it was spoken in the House of Parliament by the first and only female Prime Minister Australia has ever seen, the speech continues to have a legacy of being a turning moment in how we as a society grapple with the rampant sexism and misogyny many Australians face and has encouraged many to stand up to the people they face it from. 

It has also gone wildly viral on TikTok multiple times with a backing track of Doja Cat’s ‘Boss Bitch’ with people putting the words of her speech on all kinds of things, including posters and pottery.

Now on a national tour, JULIA, a play by Joanna Murray-Smith about Julia Gillard’s life and time as our country's leader, brings a remarkably funny edge to her inspiring story.

JULIA’s circular story begins and ends with her iconic misogyny speech; she is waiting to take the floor to address Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the nation before cutting back to her early life in Wales and the support she received from her family and community, and her father’s words which would be harked back to several times; “Every battle for justice is our battle, Julia.” 

We then see her move to Australia, her time in university, which can only be described as punk rock, and eventually her ascension to the Prime Ministership as Kevin Rudd’s egotism became his downfall.

The play is truly hilarious, but no more so than in describing Julia’s ambition to become the leader of the country; the play does not shy away from this fact by any means but explores how ambition is a feeling we often expect women to downplay.

Justine Clark (yes, the very same one from Play School) plays Julia masterfully with incredible accents, and an amazingly paced and remembered monologue which pretty much extends the whole hour and a half. 

I would also be remiss not to mention Clark’s hilarious and shockingly accurate Tony Abbott facial expression impression; something akin to if you were dumbly smiling while staring into the sun.

The comedic relief is sandwiched between moments of deep introspection, reflection and some seriously shocking moments of extreme misogyny we all remember from Gillard’s time in office. The horrendously sexist moments Gillard experienced feel so much more unhinged and hard to fathom when Clark lays them out for you as she does, but you can’t help but laugh after gasping from the sheer insanity. The shifts between these moments are done so wonderfully, a skilful mix of excellent writing and exceptional timing from Clark. 

The set is quite minimalistic. There are a few small props to further the story like press microphones and the occasional place for Clark to sit to continue her monologue but the main prop is the screens at the back of the stage which show short clips of Gillard’s signature ginger bob from behind and at times remind the audience of not only who it is that this story is really about (as Clark for the majority of the play does not look like Gillard) but also allows the audience to see a quiet moment of Gillard where she doesn’t need to put on the Prime Minister act and we can just let her real story from her point of view shine through.

Additionally, there is another person on the stage, only known as ‘Young Woman,’ who remains silent for most of it but helps with costume changes and props throughout the piece, which not only helps to further the story along but also gives the audience some sense of what Gillard means to people and the young women she has influenced.

While the play lets elements of Gillard’s inspirational and well-received moments shine, it does not downplay the controversial decisions she made in her time in office, where she went against her morals, punctuated by her father's words to her.

The play ends with Clark donning a red wig and Gillard’s classic blue blazer and adding to the strength of the monologue she has delivered by also performing Gillard’s full misogyny speech in her exact tone, timbre and accent.

Overall, Clark brings a triumphant life to excellent writing. JULIA brings a voice to power and misogyny and gives women and girls the space to hear her story, feel its importance and resonate with its message about the power in staying resilient when others try to tear you down.