A LITTLE BIT OF PAIN NEVER HURT ANYONE Holden Street Theatres Until 04 Feb 2018 Review by Janice Bailey Written by Brendan McDougall and directed by Benjamin Sheehan, this delightful play comes to Adelaide from the Independent Theatre Company in Melbourne. The play begins with a clever piece of puppetry depicting a young boy and girl when they first meet in a sandpit. ‘Hello everyone – my name is Dr Billy and I’m 8 and three quarters and this is my story. My friend is Jess and he is a stupid boy.’ So begins 50 minutes of sheer delight as we follow Billy and Jess into adulthood, exploring gender and how childhood shapes our adult perceptions of the roles we are expected to play. Julian Dibley-Hall as Jess and Brittany Lewis as Billy deliver first-class performances. As our attention is often focused on Billy and the story is essentially hers it might be easy to overlook Dibley-Hall but he plays his role with finesse. Brittany Lewis is mesmerising on stage and is a star in the making. From the puppetry scene to the finale this reviewer was spellbound. Brendan McDougall has given his characters a wonderful script to work with and it is clear that this production has been a collaborative effort between writer McDougall, Director Ben Sheen and Dibley-Hall and Lewis. This production is a gem not to be missed. Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)