A bleak romantic comedy from two of Sydney’s best-loved raconteurs.

About

A woman bails on her bestie’s Hens’ Night. A cop dodges the bus fare into town. A dog walker whistles ABBA in the dead of night. Pop the kettle on and join storytellers Phil Spencer (Story Club, Hooting & Howling) and Susie Youssef (Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Whose Line Is It Anyway?) for this bleary-eyed stagger through the night that was. The Smallest Hour is a richly woven comedy about broken dreams, second chances and velcro pants.

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Cast & Creatives

Directed by Scarlet McGlynn
Dramaturg Mary Rachel Brown
Set & Costume Designer Tyler Hawkins
Lighting Designer Veronique Benett
Sound Designer & Composer 
Steve Francis
Associate Sound Designer Michael Toisuta
Stage Manager Isabella Kerdijk
Written & performed by Phil Spencer & Susie Youssef

Performance Times

Previews 5 – 6 December
Season 7 – 15 December

Performance Times
Monday – Friday 7pm
Saturday 2pm & 7pm

Video

Trailer, The Smallest Hour

Set Time-lapse, The Smallest Hour

 

Reviews

“Sweet and riotously funny.” ★★★★ Ben Neutze, Time Out

“A charming light entertainment with just enough bittersweet stirred in. Take a date. You might end up holding hands.” Jason Blake, Audrey Journal

“[Spencer and Youssef] prove themselves consummate raconteurs, utterly and completely mesmerising with the tale they so adroitly weave.” Suzy Wrong, SuzyGoesSee

“This is a journey well worth taking. The hour might be small but Susie and Phil pack a lot of warmth and entertainment into it.” David Kary, Sydney Arts Guide

“Susie Youssef is a natural and adept performer and Phil Spencer is as sassy and twinkly as his quiff. Between them they negotiate the shoals of city living with wry, humorous heart.” Diana Simmonds, StageNoise

Blog Posts

5 Questions with Susie Youssef

30.10.18

Where did the idea for The Smallest Hour come from? Was there an initial creative spark that started it all? If you ask Phil, he’ll quote Saul Bellow and talk about the convict hour, which is “between four and five when...

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Griffin Podcast: Comedy and Theatre

16.10.18

We all love a good belly laugh. But what’s the difference between creating comedy for the stage, screen, or as a stand up routine? And what’s so different about Australian comedy? To find out, local comedy extraordinaires Nick Coyle (Playwright,...

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Phil Spencer In Conversation

06.07.16

I am currently co-writing/co-parenting a new full-length show called The Smallest Hour – it is, for want of a better phrase, a bleak romantic comedy. My fellow collaborator is Susie Youssef. Susie is a writer, actor, stand-up comedian and an...

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