Specks in the Black ****

‘Specks in the black’ is writer and director, Nathan Tetlaw’s, first play and is presented by The Blue Room and Weeping Spoon at the Blue Room Studio in Northbridge at 6.30 pm until 5th May.

On seeing the topic stated as ‘the last couple of hours before a space take-off’, I wasn’t too excited. However on entering the Studio you immediately felt as though you were in a large space capsule with a massive wall of TV monitors and the stars around you – a brilliant set from the team. The lighting design was by Glen Hunter, but controlled on the capsule console by the space men.

Intelligent and dedicated, second generation space traveller, Captain Honeybun (Tim Watts) is already seated carrying out his final check. In  struts suave (in his mind)and egotistical Commander Striker (Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd). It was with some relief that I gathered the show was to be a spoof. Not only a spoof but a parody on everything from ‘Star Trek’ to ‘Thunderbirds are go’. Thrown in were parts of ‘sad departure’ films, did I even see shades of Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard’s parting from the 1945 classic ‘Brief Encounter’?

The space crew were visited by Honeybun’s painful family and various other enjoyable and interesting characters played by Arielle Gray, Kingsley Judd and Oda Aunan. There were many clever, novel ideas and themes, beautifully acted, but unfortunately I still found the final effect slightly bland and missed the magic sparkle. Perhaps the characters should be a little more extreme or over the top. I’m sorry but I’m not too sure why it just missed the mark of being a great play. Still it was good fun and I’m sure the Trekkies will get many more of the parodies and subtleties than I did.