Great Detectives Of Old Time Radio Live At Capri Theatre – Adelaide Fringe Review

Capri Theatre, Wed Feb 18 Presented by Preachrs Podcast OnLine and OnStage, Great Detectives Of Old Time Radio Live pays homage to the most popular detective shows to be found on radio during the ‘golden age’ – the 1940s. Three shows have been adapted for stage performance from their original scripts and include episodes of Dragnet, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar and Candy Matson. The cast of seven actors played multiple roles across these plays, and were, without exception, truly remarkable in their characterisations. Therese Hornby’s strident American twang was perfect for her first role as a nosy neighbor and – like the rest of the cast – managed to adapt both her voice and physicality to portray a number of other characters during the evening. Eden Trebilco, Benjamin Maio Mackay, Jennifer Barry, Brian Knott, Michael Allen and Julia Sciacca were all similarly gifted, however Trebilco went a few steps further, interacting with the at times fairly dodgy sound effects to great audience amusement. This is part of the magic of old time radio and would have allowed for a greater audience connection – actors standing at microphones performing from scripts can get a little dry. Having said that, this wasn’t a problem due to the talent and skill of those onstage, their energetic performance doing well to keep the audience with them. This is a fabulous show for the nostalgia buff, and a terrific way to showcase this talented thespian team. Rosie van Heerde Great Detectives Of Old Time Radio Live continues at Capri Theatre until Sun Feb 22. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255or adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.