Reviews

Playlovers' Gruesome Playground Injuries is billed as "an unsentimental non-linear anti romance" by Rajiv Joseph. This shortish two-hander is beautifully presented and makes an entertaining evening.

Director Kristen Twynam-Perkins takes a Brechtian approach to the production, and between scenes we watch as the actors transform their characters with changes of ages, emotional state and in the case of the character Doug, creating a variety of bizaare injuries. The characters appear at various ages between 8 and 38.

Hannie Rayson’s plot revolves around three sisters, reunited after a number of years, and the turmoil that has arisen from a novel written by one of them, Meg, which has been based on this dysfunctional family – of course, the names have been changed. This book has been short- listed for the prestigious Booker Prize much to the family’s chagrin.

If there was ever any question about the towering, innovative qualities of excellence that abound in this justifiably iconic musical, they are laid to rest once and for all in this, The Production Company’s, 50th production. Other musicals may pale and grow old or dated; their books may lose their lustre; their characterisations become stilted and cardboard 2D like over time; but not so West Side Story.

This precision-paced production is a fine example of what community theatre can achieve. The direction is as creative and tight as the score itself. There are many great songs in this musical, all of which are quintessential to the characters and the tale they tell – and this production shows understanding of and respect for the special rhythms and juxtapositions that make Sondheim’s works that little bit different.