There are some actors who could perform the complete works of Shakespeare single-handedly without blinking, but put them in front of a microphone with no costume and no character to hide behind and they’d rather jump into shark-infested waters and take their chances there.
Rob Carlton is not one of those actors. He’s a very successful and award-winning performer, with an AWGIE award to his name for his work in Chandon Pictures, Tropfest prizes and, most memorably to date, the Outstanding Actor Silver Logie for his performance as Kerry Packer in Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo. You’ll also know him from his appearances in Moody Christmas, Total Control, Black Snow and, most recently, the multi award-winning hit adaptation of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe. And his star has already risen internationally – any minute now we’ll see him in season three of the global HBO hit White Lotus, which is currently screening in weekly episodes in Australia on Binge.
But what those international audiences may not be so aware of is Carlton’s pedigree as a raconteur or expert monologuist, mining his own life history for stories that he shares with audiences in one-person shows that comprise just him and a black chair. Willing Participant has already earned Carlton the Best Theatre Show Award at Perth’s Fringe World this year and he’s bringing the same production to Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April.
Storytelling is no stretch for Carlton, indeed it comes naturally. He and his wife Adrienne Ferreira run an initiative on the Central Coast, NSW called Bravewords, which comprises groups, workshops, coaching and masterclasses – all pitched at the art of storytelling. The workshops are focused on bringing storytellers together to build confidence and learn how to really hone their craft of sharing yarns with an audience, whether they be totally fictional or lifted from reality, as Carlton’s are in Willing Participant. And on the last Sunday of the month Carlton and Ferreira host Bravewords Live – True Stories Told Well.
So, it’s no surprise that Carlton himself is such a master of the art.
Willing Participant is directed by Darren Gilshenan, who has worked with Carlton before on such projects as Chandon Pictures. As ArtsHub’s Tiffany Barton noted in our review, “It’s clear the two have a terrific synergy for collaboration. The charisma and comedic chops of these much-loved Australian theatre and TV legends shine through in the production.”
Barton also summarised the show as “a terrific piece of theatre – it’s humble, authentic, beautifully crafted by consummate professionals and proudly Australian”.
Read: Performance review: Willing Participant, FRINGE WORLD
And she wasn’t alone in her admiration of the piece. The Perth Diary said it was the easiest five-star review they’d ever written, dubbing it “a diamond in the rough, polished to perfection”, while Rock magazine’s Shane Pinnegar described it as “sensationally life affirming”.
Jane Pelusey for Perth Happenings, was touched by “the story of his father [which] is especially poignant, leaving hardly a dry eye in the house” and Paige Gibbs for Fringefeed wrote that it is “an hour of storytelling power that reels you in from the first moment via his disarming charm and skilful acting chops”.
Aside from professional reviewers, Carlton’s show is clearly having a big impact on audiences too, especially regarding the current focus on what positive masculinity can look like.
A recent performance elicited this feedback from an appreciative audience member called Shannon: “…On the drive home, I told my wife that you’re such a great example of modern masculinity. The way you balance traditional masculine traits with care, empathy and vulnerability is something more men should look up to.
“I loved it so much that I called my dad after the show to organise taking him to see it this week. We’ll either be at the show tomorrow or on Friday.”
For Carlton, humour and sadness both rise naturally from the emotional truth of the work and a powerful and deep-seated desire to connect.
“When I share my stories, audiences feel less alone,” he recently told Channel 7’s The Morning Show. “I’m not judging anyone. I’m not giving anyone my opinion. I’m saying, ‘Hey, this happened to me and this is how I felt and maybe you’ve felt like this too.’
“We laugh and we cry and we laugh again and everyone just leaves feeling a bit in love with the world and that’s what I’m trying to do,” he concluded.
Willing Participant will be performed in the Beckett Theatre at the Malthouse for Melbourne International Comedy Festival from 1-20 April 2025.
