David Malouf's novel Johnno appeared in 1975, and has become so iconic in Australia it is said that if any Queenslander mislays his passport he can pull out a well-thumbed copy as proof of origin.
The novel depicts the friendship of two temperamentally very different young men: Dante who is reserved, timid, and a perennial worrier, and the impulsive, hedonistic Johnno, who is always getting into scrapes.
Stephen Edwards' version, a joint venture between Derby Playhouse and Brisbane's La Boite theatre company, premiered at the Brisbane festival last year, where one local critic enthused that Edwards "absolutely nailed it" - high praise for a pom.
Yet Malouf's book is a tough ask for any adapter, as it is essentially a monologue in which Dante's reminiscences wander over three continents and 30 years. You wonder which visual medium Edwards might employ; and the answer appears to be, bizarrely, synchronised swimming.
The production opens with a formation team in matching caps and bathing suits wading across a stage flooded with water. It seems a slightly literal idea to express the fluidity of the book by having the characters ankle-deep in fluid, but Caimin Collins' choreography creates quite a splash.
Paul Denny has irresistible charisma as Johnno, though Sean Mee's sour-faced Dante is restricted to pained resignation. He is also the only member of the cast to remain high and dry, perhaps to emphasise that his reticence prevents him from taking the plunge, or maybe because he's the only one wearing shoes.
· Until March 31. Box office: 01332 363275.
