'Salve Regina'

Despite the seductive fantasy of futuistic devastation and the brain-boggling conception of our home-grown Barbarella Cecily Poison as the new Eve, Edward Bowman's Salve Regina was unconvincing though entertaining drama. The techniques were a pastiche from SF, Beckett's non-worlds, cyclic action and dialogue that exposed the futility and unreality of action, and the characters had elements borrowed from Commedia dell'rAte and, at the lowest level, varsity revues.

The proverbial palm must go to the actors and producer. John Hopkins and Peter Corrigan built no a realistic relationship of vulgar cynic with sensitive effeminate who had a genuine affection with the speyed Queen. The talents (in more ways than one!) of Cecily and Ginette McDonald gave the greatest solidity possible to rather ambiguous roles. And Anthony Taylor combined radio and cinematic techniques to produce an adventurous theatrical experience which made the evening worthwhile as entertainment.

Because of the numbers attending, the promised intimate mingling of actors, producer and audience after the show became rather formal, but the idea is a logical extension of Downstage's approach and is well worth pursuing. On the whole the Gulbenkian Foundation is to be praised for its insight in supporting this venture into Sunday theatre of New Zealand drama, for even where the material is slight Downstage produces an end-product worth consuming.

R. T. Murphy