THE ADVENTURES OF DEAD JIM Bad Company Bakehouse Theatre Until 04 Sep 2010 Review by Richard Flynn “The Adventures of Dead Jim” first appeared at the Adelaide Fringe in 2009. It was then part of a doublebill (with “This Place”). Now it has been reworked, with one new cast member of its original three, andruns for just under an hour. Despite this, it drags. The first version was directed by Dee Easton; this remake does not name a director. Perhaps it is thecompany’s Artistic Director, Kurt Murray, perhaps everybody had a hand in it. Its genesis is someworkshopped ideas by members of the company about drug-taking and its awful, inevitableconsequences. It needed then, as now, one good writer, working with a director of like mind, to pull itinto shape. It is very uneven; self-indulgence is written all over it and that should not be, because itsstated ‘intentions are honourable’. It is still a work in progress and, although it has some excellent ideas, several quite powerful moments,and many comedic ones, this play falls short of the tight form that will best fulfil the company’s aim: tocreate “works themed in relevant issues in society and (explore) ways in which they can be presented toaudiences in new, exciting and entertaining ways.” For the three actors, it is a full-on night. Outstanding is Irish accent actor, Sarah Hone, playing the everstoned,Liz, who, until the end, chooses to neglect her baby daughter – and just about everything elsereally - in relentless pursuit of her next hit. Kurt Murray gives a spectacular performance as Jim. The device of him being used as a ‘confessionalbox’ for the other characters to pour out their innermost secrets is masterful. How he is thrown aroundas the dead body is both comic but also disconcerting – and sometimes this is counter-productive.Andrew Pantelis, as tough guy and Liz’s goad, Louis, needs more time to click; his strong performanceoften hits the spot but it needs to be prefaced by more thought. The Studio at the Bakehouse is not the ideal place for this play – everything is too cramped for theaction demanded of the story. Lighting (by Alexander Ramsay) is, for the most part, adequate but somehard edges to spotlights are careless; the video graphics might have been better handled using an oldTV set rather than an incongruous bit of wrinkled sheet; the sound (designed by producer, MatthewVecchio, with assistance from Anthony Frith) is clever and well cued; the telephone answering machinedevice effective, but the set dominated by a rather too new and upmarket sofa does no one any favours. “The Adventures of Dead Jim” achieves an aim to entertain and teach rather than preach – but thevoice-over ending is too wordy and goes perilously close to preaching to its youth target audience as ittries to cram all the lose ends in before the lights come up for the curtain call. That said it is to becommended for the point it has reached in its development and refinement. Worth a visit.