“Mono”, written and directed by Angus FitzSimons, Bunbury Productions, The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, February 13 Reviewed by LEN POWER.

SUBTITLED “a three-person one-man show”, the comedy “Mono” is an opportunity to see three of Australia’s much-loved comedy actors performing live onstage.

Noeline Brown is a household name on stage and in television in this country. She appeared in the Phillip Street Revues in Sydney in the 1960s and went on to the notorious “The Mavis Bramston Show” on television. “The Naked Vicar Show” followed and she has had numerous roles on stage and in films in a career spanning 60 years.

Max Gillies became a national sensation with his performances on television in “The Gillies Report” in 1983. He had been a major stage performer long before that and has appeared with most of the major theatre companies in Australia. He continues to enjoy a busy career onstage and in films and television.

John Wood rose to fame on television in “Power Without Glory”, “Rafferty’s Rules” and “Blue Heelers”. He also had a busy stage career before those successes and continues to be one of Australia’s most recognisable actors.

In “Mono”, the performers take turns in nine solo scenes and a short wordless finale in which they all come together. There are the hectoring Headmistress, a bad Bush Poet, a puzzled Policeman, a meandering Minister, a chaotic Conductor, a mindless “Mindfulness” teacher, a surreal Sotheby’s Auctioneer and a very, very sozzled Mother of the Bride.

There’s a definite feeling of having seen it all before and none of the scenes are more than mildly amusing. Some of the sketches felt laboured despite their short running times. Only two sequences stood out from the rest and that was due to Max Gillies. As a music conductor in “Guide” and an art gallery visitor in “Perspective”, Gillies showed his remarkable comic skills without saying a word.

The audience chuckled their way through it all, but these three performers are quite capable of having you rolling in the aisles. It’s a pity they were limited by a script by Angus FitzSimons that didn’t give them that opportunity. It was a pleasure to see these iconic performers onstage but the play itself was a disappointment.