The Return at Maidment Studio

Australian theatre seems to be running hot in Auckland, and nowhere more so than in A Lethal Set's production of Reg Cribb's drama about a late-night train ride to Fremantle.

The railcar provides the scene for an edgy encounter between the criminal class and a middle-class writer who is riding the trains to gather material for his play.

The situation encapsulates the so-called authenticity anxiety that plagues contemporary culture - that the burden of living in a complex society leads to the conviction that our own experience is artificial and therefore worthless.

The sophisticated playwright - and, by extension, the audience - crave the raw experience of the street but want to enjoy it vicariously and from a safe distance.

For their part, the street thugs are bored with their meaningless lives and find authenticity in a half-baked mythologising of the warrior ethic, in this case represented by some rather forced references to Native Americans.

The dialogue exposes brilliantly the contradictions inherent in this situation. In the pressure-cooker of a moving carriage the conflict rapidly builds and the playwright finds himself far too close to the reality he wants to depict on stage.

The tension is exhilarating because the audience is so closely implicated in the attempt to appropriate the experience of the street. But having built to an explosive climax the play seems to loose direction and veers into a familiar story about crime, victim-hood and revenge.

Cribb has a great ear for dialogue and has created five strongly drawn characters. While representing social types they are each distinct individuals, and by the time the train pulls into Fremantle they have all undergone a significant transformation.

Director Heath Jones has brought together a strong ensemble cast and the design team use an effective combination of lighting and sound to evoke the ambience of the train journey.

Ben Barrington is particularly engaging as a prison-yard philosopher with impeccable comic timing.

A commanding physical presence enables him to effortlessly convey a sense of menace, but also reveal a sensitive side.

Fraser Brown and Emmeline Hawthorne have to portray less appealing characters but they both elicit sympathy by bringing a naive innocence to their eavesdropping.

Michele Hine gives a totally convincing performance as a hard-bitten alcoholic.

If the conclusion of the play was something of a disappointment, the journey was full of humour, intensity and insight.