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To what extent should a person be able to control what happens to their body? This is the core question asked by Grace Malouf’s First, Do No Harm, a twisty and genuinely witty play all about how medical standards should be enforced from both an institutional and personal perspective.

By utilising a brilliant cast of actors, inspired direction and a genuinely surprisingly misdirect early into the show, First, Do No Harm is stalwart in its mission to ask questions that ask where the limits of our collective empathy and understanding for other people lie, and if we will let them become who they truly are.

Alexei (Josh Merten) is a young swimmer who feels like his body isn’t his own. Living at home under the terse relationship of his mother Mel (Kate Bookallil), a successful surgeon campaigning to become President of the AMA, and his formerly Olympic gold-winning dad Robbo (Richard Hilliar), he finds himself unable to confront them with the truth of how he feels about himself.

So when the truth finally does come out, and Alexei is referred to Mel’s rival Ian (Shan-Ree Tan) for his life-changing surgery, family dynamics fracture as his parents fail to understand why Alexei wants this done, and what he will do to actually get it done.

Despite what it seems to be setting up for, First, Do No Harm employs a brilliant writing misdirect to challenge our assumptions about the medical industry and the right of individuals to choose what happens to their bodies. Although it compares its subject matter to trans medical rights, it uses this as a brilliant feint to address a different medical condition with a similar feeling regarding personal discomfort.

First, Do No Harm is a carefully constructed piece of theatre

The exact details are best experienced within the show, where some seemingly innocuous writing choices take on a whole new meaning once First, Do No Harm properly gets underway. Malouf’s script is carefully constructed around this early twist, but is by no means its only strength – its dialogue is sharply written, and the pacing of each scene is absolutely breakneck.

That’s certainly thanks in part to a remarkable cast of actors, all guided with real panache by co-directors Malouf and Charley Allanah. The dialogue is smartly written yet feels quite real, aided by the intimate KXT on Broadway theatre space that almost makes it feel like you’re a fly on the wall for real, personal conversations.

Kate Bookallil and Richard Hilliar are both exceptional as a terrifyingly specific brand of Australian parents who struggle to understand what their son is going through. I also found Shan-Ree Tan as rival surgeon Ian to be absolutely electric – though a supporting character, Tan’s confident performance makes him genuinely feel well and truly like a surgeon with a different perspective from Mel.

However, the whole thing is ultimately held up by Josh Merten’s highly sensitive turn as Alexei that invites the audience to have empathy for the things they may not understand. Paired with an excellent understanding of stagecraft by Malouf and Allanah, Merten allows us into Alexei’s mind for a deep understanding of exactly what is troubling this boy and how he can be helped.

It all makes First, Do No Harm a constructed work that boldly confronts its difficult subject matter with an empathetic lens. This is a genuinely exciting, thought-provoking piece of theatre that encourages critical engagement with its myriad questions – and even if you find yourself disagreeing with some of its conclusions, they are well worth chewing on.

First, Do No Harm is playing at KXT on Broadway until July 4th.