Youngsters nowadays have been brought up to think they are perfect and always right. This show demonstrates, with blatant honesty how, despite the admiration given by people close to you, along with most of the idealistic images created by TV programmes, have lied and that life is in fact a bloody hard struggle. It tackles topics like racism, homosexuality and sexism with taste (?).

This hilarious two and a half hour, light-hearted fantasy, a Dark Psychic Production can be seen at the Phoenix Memorial Hall, 435 Carrington Street, Hamilton Hill, at 8.00 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until 19^th March. There is one matinee, on Sunday 13^th March at 2.00 pm.

The eleven, large puppets are operated and voiced by neutrally dressed puppeteers, who are constantly in full view of the audience, mingling with three human actors. However, the strength of the puppets’ characters, and their complex but smooth operation, quickly help the audience forget about the operators.

The colourful set is the exterior of a block of flats in rural New York City (design assisted by Pat McMahon, Kerron and Danial Muller). Constructed by the designers, with further help from Wayne Gale, Leon Dekker and Aubrey Cason. The stage management was smooth, totally unobtrusive all thanks to Alison Kovacs and Nikita Harwood.

Alex Coutts-Smith’s lighting was colourful and very well designed.

The Musical Director, Lee Wilson, operated the music and sound. It is often tricky for a cast to follow a pre-recorded musical track as there is no leeway for error, but this cast was perfectly rehearsed and well advised by Lee.

      On graduating, young, naïve Princeton (Darren Bilston), decides to search for his purpose in life. After discovering that accommodation in Avenue A in central New York is atrociously expensive, he finds himself in the suburbs at Avenue Q, where he meets the tactless Nicky (Ryan McNally). Nicky says that there is a room to let in his block of flats; a block that is supervised by Gary Coleman (Bernadette Ward) who was Arnold Jackson in TV’s ‘Diff’rent Strokes’.

     Whilst living in the flat he meets the other tenants, there is the svelte therapist, Japanese girl, Christmas Eve (Jayde Clark) and her fiancé, ‘Blian’ or Brian (John P. Gray) who is a poor stand-up comic. Upstairs is friendly but tight-fisted, Republican banker, Rod (Andrew Dawson) and Trekkie Monster (Sean Williams) who spends most of his time watching porn.

     One day Princeton meets an old school friend, Kate Monster (Danni Close) a kindergarten teacher who wants to leave her boss, Mrs Thistletwat and open her own Monstersorri (sic) school. They rekindle the love of their youth. However, in the ‘Around the Clock Café’ the big busted, sex mad singer, Lucy T Slut (Elouise Eftos), and two of her friends, the charismatic, Bad Idea Bears (Sally McMaster, Ruby Reye) are determined to lead Princeton astray. The couple do have some good friends – Ricky, Jumper and Suzi (Dan Rooney, Em Rose, Chantal Kerkhof).

    Will Nicky and Kate Monster find their lifelong loves?

Confession time. I have never been a fan of ‘Sesame Street’ or ‘The Muppets’, often finding them infantile and annoying, but this show has warmth and demands empathy from the audience. The content is definitely for adults only – the first Act ends in raunchy hilarity, whilst depicting half the positions of the Kama Sutra.

Thanks to the supreme skills of the operators, the puppets are mesmerising. The puppeteers have to work the immaculately made and dressed puppets (assembled by ‘Cursed Creations’), whilst speaking in an American accent, and capturing the nasal, squeaky voices of the TV characters. The result was amazingly accurate.

When a production opens with a powerful and happy chorus, you know that the show is going to be well above average. The opening number was magic.

There was a couple of dozen musical number and songs, which were required to be sung in the strange voices, and once again with brilliant presentation and perfect enunciation.

Directed by Jayde Clark, with solid production assistance from Gabriella Guidone and Bethsaida Tapsall, the show was fast moving throughout. The songs were delivered with plenty of power and feeling – fabulous singing voices. Special mention for performers Darren Bilston, Danni Close, Ryan McNally and Andrew Dawson, their voices were amazing. Sean Williams’ gruff Trekkie voice was incredible.

The quirky songs were accompanied a soft-shoe shuffle and such convincing puppet arm movement that at times you would swear that the facial expressions were changing too.

This must be Dark Psychic’s best production yet – and over the years, they have had a very high standard. Slick, professional and great fun. Highly recommended, the type of show you could see again.

Nowra has written more than thirty plays and half a dozen novels. Last year he won the pinnacle of prizes, The Patrick White Award.

This modern classic is being presented by the Phoenix Theatre Inc. at the Phoenix Theatre, in the Memorial Hall on the corner of Rockingham Road and Carrington Street, Hamilton Hill.

The two-hour play is showing nightly at 8.00 pm from Thursday to Sunday, until Saturday 17^th May. There is one Sunday matinee on the 11^th May at 2.00 pm.

The simple, but most effective set (Wayne Gale, Kerron Muller) consists of three large flats depicting the stage of an old damp, disused theatre in the grounds of an asylum.

        It is 1971 in an Australian mental institution, and the senior administrator, Justine (Kathleen Uhlmann) feels that the patients’ intelligence should be stretched, and so suggests that the asylum should produce a theatrical show. However, Justine is one of these sycophantic, smiling, incompetent bosses with no practical skills, and so she employs enthusiastic, newly graduated, Lewis (Cody Fullbrook) to put on a simple show.

         Lewis’s girlfriend, Lucy (Kate Lloyd) and his old Uni mate, Nick (Sean Drill) are annoyed that by accepting the job, Lewis will miss the ban-the-bomb moratorium. Bolshie Nick is even interviewed by a reporter (James Buckland) for the TV news.

         To Lewis’s horror, an inmate Roy (Shaun Griffin), who is a real drama Diva, suggests that they mount a production of Mozart’s opera, ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ with him as the ‘Star’. At the risk of making a total fool of himself, Lewis decides to go ahead and put up a cast list. The half dozen enthusiasts who put their names down are less than capable. They include a disbarred solicitor, Henry (Pat McMahon) who is a manic-depressive, rarely speaking hence a disaster as a singer. In fact the only really eager, semi capable patient is the pyromaniac, Doug (Anthony Smith – excellent). Doug thinks that most actors have sex all day, and wants to f*** the pedantic, quiet Ruth (Olivia Finlay) who has an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and any other girl available.

          The overeater, Cherry (Katrina Murphy) is worried about Lewis’s lean figure and is desperate to fatten him up – before making passionate love. At rehearsals, the drugged up musician, Zac (Ryan S. McNally) manages to play a few notes before passing out. However, as the show progresses, it is quiet, intelligent junkie, Julie (Leah Fitzgerald) that is subtly moving in on Lewis.

         Will the show go ahead, and if it does will it be an utter catastrophe?

With a large cast, most of whom are on stage throughout the play; director Jayde Clark kept the actors moving around so that they held the audience’s attention very well. I saw the final rehearsal, but the performance was first class. Each cast member has a very different character’s condition to depict, and it was obvious that they had done their homework, conquered the part and gave very convincing performances. It is often easy to think of a part with little dialogue to be a ‘minor part’, in ‘Cosi’, there are no minor parts, and every character has to be portrayed throughout. Henry possibly had the least to say, but Pat’s eyes and body language said volumes about the sadness and anguish behind the face. You can feel the tension and jealousy that exists amongst the inmates. Special mention for Katrina Murphy and Olivia Finlay who really dominated the stage at times.

When a play has several deep and dark messages to present, the show can become tedious and light relief is required. In ‘Cosi’ it is Doug that supplies the laughs. Anthony, on a set of crutches (he had damaged his foot), managed to cover the stage in seconds and incorporate the disability to the play’s advantage. The whole cast were well above average.

The director has used the auditorium floor area in front of the stage apron, along with every entrance and exit in the theatre; this of course makes the audience feel part of the asylum.

Alex Coutts-Smith and Brett Muller’s lighting was most effective, with a good fire scene effect (considering the available light units). The sound was well recorded and presented by the sound operator, Jamie Martin. To carry out quick set changes with a dozen cast on stage and in the way, can be tricky, but Emma Muller and her assistants Daniel Muller and Jessica Byrum were quick and efficient.

I have seen this play several times over the years, but still found this version refreshing and professionally presented. Although it is an adult storyline, the comedy and skilful delivery means it is truly a good night out for the family.