Theatre / “How to Vote”, by Julian Larnach, directed by Luke Rogers. Canberra Youth Theatre. At The Playhouse until September 10. Reviewed by ARNE FEALING.

LIGHTS, camera, action. A postmodern drama, intelligently designed. A great lighting plot that burnt its moments into your mind. 

Great actors, as always. My, Canberra youth drama has come a long way – by inches, then yards.

Perfect performances from its lead characters in this student politics driven script – and an ensemble who supported each moment. Natural talent doesn’t speak volumes, it tells you its real. And from any seat in the theatre, just about every performer seemed like a natural.

As seems to be a related issue in almost every show not programmed by very experienced directors and responsive sound and light design – the pace was slow. 

The art in this show was superb. It was absolutely well placed. Had a structured, very well considered set, great colour palette, yet it was almost impossible to care about the words.

This sort of work can be wonderful for presenting things such as Shakespeare’s when a concentration on time and set is vastly more important. And is fine for film drama, and professionals when they come of age. However, this successful template left “How to Vote” undersold by way of its capacity to keep a mature audience’s attention, beyond their immediate invitees, perhaps.

The only real element missing was major emotional impact. So clean, it felt like watching an episode of “Home and Away” – really bright and well-chosen costumes, and episodic postmodern presentation. It just did not have much going for it to keep you enthralled. 

Small edits to the lighting and sound plot at crucial points are needed to find 15 minutes less of on-stage time. Which can be hard, as each moment on stage seems to take forever for each performer. Three more rehearsals away from a SMASH hit. Then this slow-moving train could become a super-fast train between the audition houses of Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. Or just help if these amazing cast of actors ever get the opportunity to tour nationally, or anywhere in the world. Which they should.

A fast train is heavy and loud, and runs over tracks like it means to get there on time, with impact. This was a cruise liner that never got past 15 knots post its Sydney berthing in the first five minutes. Despite a wow of an opening scene. And the many others that followed.

Cleverness wrapped up in a generally overly easy-to-follow, predictable script – an amazing premiere for amazing playwright.