MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune!

What happens when you are haunted by a rock ballad?

From award-winning playwright Dax Carnay-Hanrahan, MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune! is a darkly comedic and musically haunted new theatre work about identity, grief, and Asian filial piety.

This ambitious play follows Diana, a Filipina trans woman, as she prepares for her wedding in Melbourne while trying to release her estranged father’s corpse from a morgue in Manila. To make things more complicated, his memory lingers and relentlessly croons Mr. Big's 1991 hit "To Be With You." Through biting wit and aching vulnerability, the play bends time and form as song, spirit, and psyche collide.

This is the first production of its kind to feature an all-Filipino cast led by a transfemme Filipina artist on a Melbourne stage. This groundbreaking work elevates the voices of Southeast Asian and trans migrant artists who are critically underrepresented in the arts.

Join us for an exclusive public reading of this work in development as part of Midsumma Festival 2026. Following the presentation, there will be an open Q&A where you can provide feedback and engage with the creative team behind this new work.