The two and a half hour production can be seen each Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at 8.00 pm with a ‘Christmas Matinee’ on Sunday 13^th December at the slightly later time of 4.00 pm.

The scene is 1942, in a down market, second floor flat in Sydney’s Kings Cross area. The scruffy walls are cream, with pale blue paint below the dado rail. The set designed by Kristen Twynam-Perkins was built by Phil Barnett, Travis Markham, Michiel Van Doorn and Sarah Christiner.

The quality props (Kathryn Ramsell), the costumes and uniforms (Jenny Prosser) were all accurate for the time.

John Woolrych’s fine lighting was operated by Catherine O’Donoghue. Simon Walters controlled the director’s sound design and the whole show capably stage managed by Cassidy Bodenham.

       Following a party into the early hours of the morning, an American Marine who had been asleep on the settee awakes from a recurring dream. Kathy (Melissa Merchant), the young married woman who is renting the flat whilst her husband is away at the war, rushes through to the sitting room and finds Marine Potter (Cameron Leese), better known as ‘Rebel’ lying on the floor crying and petrified. Kathy then discovers that he is ‘absent without leave’.

      There is a knock on the door and in stagger Kathy’s best friend, Joycie (Sjaan Lucas) and her new boyfriend, US airman Bernie (Joel Sammels). Within seconds, there is another knock on the door. It is the prying, supercilious landlady, Mrs Palmer (Norma Davis), a tenant’s worst nightmare. She suspects that disreputable behaviour has been taking place and emphasises that she will accept no nonsense in her building.

      With the marines (Caelan Steedman, James Smith) searching for him, and the local detective, Browning (Paul Treasure) hunting for spies secreted in the neighbourhood, Rebel realises he must get away as soon as possible. Perhaps the heartless local spiv, ‘Tiger’ Kelly (Sam Barnett), can help – at a price.

Director: Kristen Twynam-Perkins directed this play 13 years ago, and was pleased to have the chance to bring it to life again. Unfortunately the standard of acting was very variable, from powerful and convincing, almost to Harold Lloyd.

When a drama is building up to a climax, the tension is only as good as the weakest link. Even one small, but poor cameo can let the whole scene down and lose the dramatic effect.

One left having had an enjoyable night at the theatre, but not the full ‘dramatic satisfaction’.

This melodrama can be seen at 7.30 pm on Friday, 31^st October and Saturday, 1^st November  The production is being held at the Nexus Theatre (near car park 3), Murdoch University. Tickets are a mere $10 each.

The set is a light coloured stage, made to look like a beach. At the side are the two musicians. To the rear, a muslin cyc and a simple, but effective, palace set. (Designer Allison Bell)

      The narrator (Cat Perez) who walks about the play invisibly welcomes us in song to the theatre. The melodic chorus (Gabriele Colli, Bella Doyle and Elizabeth Wharton) pop up throughout the play, with light relief in the form of hilarious verse (written by Sarah Courtis) and a dance (choreographed by Ellin Sears).

       Cymbeline, the loved and respected King of Britain (Philip Hutton), has a daughter, the wise and beautiful, Princess Imogen (Harriet Fettis). His evil second Queen (Charlotte Westrip) has married the King solely to ease the way for her egotistical and inept son, Cloten (James Hynson) from a previous marriage, to wed the Princess.

      Cymbeline is keen to see his daughter marry his stepson, but finds that Imogen has secretly married an orphan, Posthumus Leonatus (Leigh Fitzpatrick) that Cymbeline has raised from a child. The King is furious and banishes this commoner by birth to Rome.

      In Rome, accompanied by his servant Philario (Xarna Rappold), Posthumus meets an Italian conman, Iachimo (Scott McArdle) who bets him that he can seduce the Princess. However, when Iachimo discovers that she is faithful to her husband he sets out to trick Posthumus by getting private details of the Princess’s chamber and her body blemishes. When Posthumus believes that he has lost the bet, he orders his servant, Pisanio (Jade Galambosi) to kill Imogen.

      When Pisanio learns what really happened, she advises the Princess to disguise herself as a pageboy, Fidele, and flee. On her journey to Milford Haven, Imogen meets a shepherd, Morgan, his two sons, Guiderius (Nik Pinnock) and the younger sibling Arviragus (Shannon Rogers) living in a cave. The boys are her royal brothers, who were stolen twenty years earlier by the unjustly banished nobleman, Belarius (Sarsi Elsberry), and who is now living his life as Morgan the shepherd.

      Dressed in Posthumus’ clothes, Cloten follows Imogen determined to kill her, thus clearing the way for his eventual ascent to the throne. In a fight, Cloten is killed by Guiderius.  Feeling ill, and thinking a potion the queen has given her is medicinal, Imogen drinks the drug. The Queen however, believes that the drug she got from her doctor, Cornelius (Cassee Lazic) is actually a poison. Belarius and his sons find Imogen motionless and think she is dead.

      Meanwhile, in the palace, the Roman ambassador to Britain, Caius Lucius (Emily David) on the advice of the soothsayer (Rayelene Chin) declares war on Britain. Caius becomes the general of the Roman invasion force.  Posthumus is captured, and is placed in jail under the supervision of an idiot jailer (Christian Blackburn).

 Can Posthumus escape prison, what will happen to the shepherd’s boys, will Imogen really be poisoned?

Throughout the play, composer Nick Choo on piano and harpsichord, and his accompanying clarinettist, Hailey Vantil, provided a soft – perfect level – delightful musical soundscape.

The director, Jenny de Reuck and her associate director, Melissa Merchant have skilfully turned, what could have been a very ordinary, semi-funny play, into a memorable piece. They have wrung every morsel of humour from the play, and with Sarah Courtis’ lyrics, given a real sparkle to every scene.

The cast, even those with minor roles, really got into the mood of the play, by having quirky mannerisms and expressions. The play storylines had many complex twists, so having diction that was clear and beautifully paced was essential to the comprehension. Perfect.

Harriet Fettis, James Hynson and Scott McArdle gave performances that were amazing. Cat Perez was stunning as the narrator – another talent to watch for in the future.

There were a couple of good fight sequences choreographed by Uzi Khan, one of which brought forth a few intended laughs.

The costumes were colourful and well-tailored (Sophie Braham). The lighting ranged from a bloody battle scene, to a creepy ghost sequence (lighting design Nick Morant), with the quality sound completing the mood (sound design Amelia Dee).

Production supervisor, John King, had a very capable team that was managed by Thomas Dimmick. The crew of Laurie Mcainsh, Samantha Larke, Aaron Blackburn and Jessica Patrick ensured that the entrances, exits and scene changes were imperceptibly slick.

First time I have seen this play, but certainly an admirable production. Many congratulations.