‘Stop’, ‘slow’, ‘go’ … to Traffic Light Party at KXT
Julia Newbould
3.5 Traffic cones
Venue : KXT on Broadway
Sydney
Dates: Until February 7th 2026
All relationships are complicated and when you’re young, at university, and partying with friends and their friends, these relationships and the emotions associated with them are heightened. Traffic Light Party captures every nuance of young adult relationship behaviour.
A traffic light party is one where attendees dress in colours according to their relationship status. Green is ‘go’ – single and going for it; yellow is ‘slow’ – it’s complicated, and red is ‘stop’ – you’re taken! If we’re not aware of the alignment between traffic and relationships, chanting from the ensemble makes it clear.
The play explores the relationships including the idea that being in a relationship can stymie your life, your ambition, and desires. It can also stop other relationships as you prioritise your partner. It’s an interesting exploration of relationships outside the family, and characters are well drawn.
Playwright Izzy Azzopardi found the inspiration for Traffic Light Party from sitting in traffic and noticing strange parallels between road rules and the dynamics of relationships. She developed the play as a satirical look at the guidelines that people follow in relationships, without realising how they came into being. There are consequences for drifting out of your lane and not following the road rules.
Traffic Light Party is a clever concept. Using traffic lights to signal relationship status really works. The play focuses on different relationships and how they should be and how, if they don’t adhere to the rules, disaster can swiftly follow.
The energised ensemble cast takes the audience through a range of love, boundaries, and the moral messiness of 20-somethings, although older members of the audience were not alienated. Azzopardi herself has a role in the play as Ivy, a character refusing to be labelled and rebelling against colour-coded dressing at the party. She also has an important speech at the end of the play when she compares relationships with partners to those with friends.
Scarlett (Meg Denman) attends appropriately in red. She is in a relationship – although we never meet her partner – and she demonstrates how the relationship can work even from afar. Claire (Grace Easterby) in green is ready for a relationship, not a one-night stand, and is able to clearly state what she wants. Amber (Caitlin Green) and Samson (Isaac Harley) are very relatable as a couple who arrive at the party in yellow – signalling a ‘complicated’ relationship. She thinks they should have arrived in red but they haven’t had the conversation to establish their relationship. This relationship is an awkward one, which many of us recognised.
Travis Howard is excellent as Phoenix, the gay lover of closeted rugby captain Reid, played by Jordy Stewart, who is equally convincing as the conflicted footballer. He has one lane – as a footballer loved and revered by his teammates – but believes that if he strays from that lane and admits his relationship he will be doomed. Both Phoenix and Reid elicited empathy in their complicated relationship with each showing a depth of emotions.
Sunny (Renee Billing) is the gender fluid member of the group, wearing yellow to signify her on-again off-again relationship.
The mostly 20-something aged audience audibly groaned in some places where they recognised the behaviour or the characters. And while older audience members, like myself, might hope we better understand and follow the rules, we are not immune to the behaviours.
Director Brea Macey has created an energetic production incorporating tight choreography into the stylised production with the ensemble grouped to talk about traffic – accidents that occur with alcohol, or from drifting out of the lane. It becomes easy to understand the inspiration of the traffic lights and relationships – they both need boundaries and rules to run smoothly and avoid accidents.
Staging is clever with traffic signs on the wall and lanes painted on the floor. There are also perspex screens which are moved through the production to contain themes and characters. The costumes are vital in identifying the roles of the actors.
Azzopardi knows how to write dialogue with just the right tone and there are many clever lines that elicit knowing laughs from the audience. The ensemble cast looks comfortable in their roles. There is high energy in the production with the ensemble dancing, carrying props, and presenting varied scenarios to give each actor their time in the spotlight.
Accept the invitation to the party, it’s an enjoyable one.
Julia Newbould , Theatre Now
