Small-town NZ fable superb

KIDS AT HEART: Michael (Matt Hudson) and Alex (Stefan van Trigt) ride - and crash - their home-made trolley around Duvauchelle Bay in Harlequin's production of Peninsula.

I wasn't sure how I was going to enjoy Peninsula, Harlequin theatre's first dramatic offering for the year. The play, directed by Richard Brooks, is a tale of innocence lost in 1960s, small-town New Zealand. One tends to get weary of such fables, especially when one's degree revolved around them.

Also, all the kids' parts are played by adults - who also play their parents. How were they going to manage that without looking like socially impaired grown-ups?

As it turns out, Harlequin's Peninsula was superb.

The play tells the tale of 10-year-old Michael Hope (Matt Hudson), an imaginative lad, who enjoys adventuring around his home town of Duvauchelle Bay with his mates Alex (Stefan van Trigt) and Lynette (Janet Osborne) and sister Ngaire (Roxana Johnson).

Erudite new teacher Gordon McIntosh (James Riley) arrives and encourages Michael to pursue cartography, his passion.

But, Mr McIntosh has a secret - which gets out.

The mature folk get unduly overprotective and drama ensues.

Brooks' cast did an excellent job portraying both the children on the edge of adulthood, and the adults who need to grow up.

Each actor pulled off all those delightful mannerisms - dragging feet, waving hands to answer the teacher's questions, hunching when contrite, screwing up faces at brussels sprouts and gleefully threatening to "tell" - to perfection.

The cast made seamless transformations into their adult roles - with van Trigt and Hudson (playing Michael and Alex's fathers) making perfect rugby-loving, monosyllabic Kiwi Dads.

Osborne gave an uncomfortably raw performance as Valerie, Michael's overwrought mother, while Johnson played the lonely Sylvia with honesty and fragility.

The show-stealer, however, was Riley, both as the troubled, booming-voiced Mr McIntosh, and in his second role - as Pug the dog.

Peninsula is grim at times, and is unapologetic in exploring the prejudices we progressive Kiwis think we've left behind.

There were moments that were terrifying to watch, and others that launched a few tears. But, the cast injected unassuming warmth, vitality and humour into their roles, and kept the much-needed laughs coming.

To Brooks and his cast - you brought a tear to the eye of this stone-cold journalist.

Wonderful job.