Living in Chile as a cultural adviser to President Salvador Allende, he left the night before the Pinochet coup. He has been a university professor of literature in North Carolina, since 1985 and became an American citizen in 2004.

The Melville Theatre Company is performing this chilling drama – which Roman Polanski made into a film in 1994 – at the Melville Theatre, on the corner of Stock Road and Canning Highway, in Melville.

This two-hour play can be seen at 8.00 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings until the 21^st May. There is also a Sunday matinee on 15^th May at 2.00 pm.

 ‘Death and the Maiden’, is a nick name for the classic chamber music (used in the play) about the terror and comfort of death, namely the ‘String Quartet No. 14 in D minor’, written by Franz Schubert 1824, when he was 27 years old – only three years before he died of tertiary syphilis.

      The Maiden: ‘Oh! leave me! Prithee, leave me! thou grisly man of bone! For life is sweet, is pleasant. Go! Leave me now alone! Go! Leave me now alone!’

      Death: ‘Give me thy hand, oh! maiden fair to see. For I’m a friend, hath ne’er distress’d thee. Take courage now, and very soon, within mine arms shalt softly rest thee!’

The scene is beach house, about 1980, in an unspecified post-dictatorship country (generally assumed to be Chile).

The stage has a third as the outside balcony festooned with Chinese lanterns, and facing the sea. The remainder is a bright white dining / sitting room, entered through patio doors. A bamboo curtain at the rear leads to the main bedroom, another curtain leads to the kitchen and spare room. The décor is international ethnic.

The scenery was designed and constructed by Jacob, Lars and Vanessa Jensen, and painted by Kit Leake and Barbara Lovell. The costumes were by Nicola Gredziuk. High quality, realistic soundscape by Lars and operator Sean Bullock.

       It is late evening, and Paulina Escobar (Kayti Murphy) is relaxing on the veranda listening to the waves crashing in the bay. As a car drives up the road to the isolated house, Paulina rushes into the sitting room and takes a gun from a drawer. To her relief, it is only her lawyer husband, Gerardo (Nick Kadmos).

      On his way home from a Cabinet Meeting, where he has been offered a major post, his car has had a puncture. He then found the spare tyre was also flat. Luckily a medic, Dr. Miranda (Alan Kennedy) was passing and helped Gerado get home.

       As Paulina’s husband talked to the doctor over a drink. With horror, Paulina couldn’t help thinking that she recognised the doctor from her days as an anatomy student in the university.

Director Lars Jensen has been most fortunate in getting three such superb actors. Alan Kennedy seems to be nominated for an award for almost every show in which he performs. It is only months since one of Kayti’s dramas won best production. Nick has only recently returned to Perth, but he too has a well proven track record.

The script is demanding, it needs a director that can handle the storyline with conviction and yet sensitivity, which Lars has achieved impeccably. The power, suspense and pure electricity that this team built up was amazing. There were passages of pure chill, along with someone torn between love and justice, and the GP simply helping a man in distress only to face danger.

The story leaves one in no doubt what happened in the dictatorship, but the story is more of a mystery than a history lesson. A powerful topic given first class treatment by Community Theatre’s best. Highly recommended.

Sadly, Nora recently died aged 71, of acute myeloid leukaemia.

This series of brief monologues is being presented by the Melville Theatre Company, at the Melville Theatre on the corner of Stock Highway and Canning Highway, Melville. This production can be seen at 8.00 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings until 19^th September. There is one matinee at 2.00 pm on Sunday 13^th September.

The attractive set, comprised four, open, wardrobe units, with colourful hatboxes on a shelf above. The garments hanging on the racks were in groups of mauve, red, green and burgundy (décor by Barbara Lovell, Kit Leake). At the side of the stage apron, was an office set – thanks to Peter Bloor, Ross Bertinshaw, Susan Lynch, Jacob, Lars and Vanessa Jensen.

The lighting and sound (Lars Jensen) were well designed and operated, with some clever touches to create the correct mood. At one point the luminescence even matched the script dialogue – electric blue.

       The narrator, Gingy (Joy Northover) sits at the side of the stage with an easel of beautiful artistically drawn fashion cards (superb, but no credit in programme) that remind her of her lifetime of outfits. Some getups bring warm memories, whilst others make her cringe. The garments recall three marriages, along with various tragedies. Her lifespan of clothes begins with a Brownies uniform and extends through many eras of her life.

     With four women (Cassandra Gorman, Petrina Harley, Sue Lynch and Kayti Murphy) dressed in black, playing numerous characters, we hear of parents’ inability to choose trendy clothes – preferring ‘sensible’, the first bra, to the little black number for the school ball.

     Then there are the magical materials of the day, healthy woollen outfits knitted by Grandma, sugared cotton dresses through to Spandex. Then there are those beautiful leather boots, and the matching accessories.

      We learn how many lovers lost to the wrong choice of clothing.

Vanessa Jensen is one of Perth’s most respected directors, so not surprisingly the direction of this show was slick and beautifully paced. When friends are relating an event, there is always one who can really keep you open-eyed and anticipating the next part of the story; Vanessa has her whole cast doing this. The actors’ faces and bodies illuminated their deepest inner thoughts. In short, two or 3-minute episodes for dozens of topics are examined in this lifetime capsule of clothing; most episodes have the audience laughing aloud.

At first glances, this looks like a ‘chick play’, and certainly, the ladies in the audience in their own daily lives, will have experienced most of the observations. However, the men were laughing just as much, as they saw their partners portrayed on the stage.

The style of this show reminded me of ‘The Vagina Monologues’, but on a much lighter level.

When the whole audience leaves the theatre with a broad smile, then you know the show is a hit.

Great fun, from a strong cast working perfectly as a team.