ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING ADELAIDE Until 04 Mar 2012 Review by Kelly Mildenhall “All my friends are leaving Adelaide” is a fabulously entertaining chick flick of a show about the inevitable question that faces many 20-somethings: should I up and do the London thing, or should I sit around in Adelaide watching all my friends do the London thing? This is a strong, polished show, with a dynamite cast. All the actors are believable and easily identifiable; it’s not hard to accept that such characters could really be found at the Havelock on a Saturday arvo, going through the same motions as the previous weekend. All the archetypal chick flick characters are in the mix. Priscilla Barletta as Anthea proves her worth as the attractive-lead-with-depth. Paul Stalenhoef as Michael is likeable and funny as her over-intellectualising best friend, and comic relief glides onto stage in the form of Tyson, played by Alex Brazier. Scarlett Koehne directed the show and also portrays social friend Kath. Olivia Wells is endearing as enigma Simone, and although Charlie Gibbings’ time on stage is fleeting, he owns the stage and remains steadily nonchalant. Finally, Nadia Talotta is hilariously deadpan as Stephanie, a girlfriend who nags incessantly. The performance space is well chosen and beautifully intimate, with the set being a realistic depiction of a 20-something’s share-house. Adelaide references are peppered throughout, which is great for a local audience. The choice to break the fourth wall and have actors communicate directly with the audience is not as tiresome as it might have been, as the characters are likeable and these moments are brief. This show is just bang-on with its observations of relationships and human-behaviour. People really do declare that they want to try new things, only to never do it, or stare dumbly at their televisions watching nothing that exciting – so it all makes for hilarious viewing. Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)