Virgin in a Knife Fight is a high-calibre storytelling experience. Rob Carlton, known for White Lotus, The Hollowmen, North Shore and Boy Swallows Universe, commands the stage with a deeply personal and confidently crafted solo work.

Built from stories drawn from Carlton’s own life and centred around the theme of surprise, the show moves fluidly between the naïveté of adolescent backpacking to navigating a friendship with a struggling addict. The stories make you laugh, shudder and reflect, carried by an undercurrent of moral insight that never feels like a lesson.

Carlton’s acting craft is masterful. With subtle shifts in posture and facial expression, he brings a cast of characters vividly to life. His only prop, a foldable black chair, transforms seamlessly into a backpack, a knife, a car, or simply a seat, underscoring just how little he needs to hold an audience’s attention. At times, the show feels less like a performance and more like an acting masterclass.

The show’s only minor blemish is that the climax in one of his stories doesn’t quite meet the expectations it carefully builds. But perhaps that’s the point. Life, after all, doesn’t always neatly unfold like a Hollywood movie.

Virgin in a Knife Fight showcases exceptional storytelling, anchored by personal vulnerability and an actor at full power.