GREAT DETECTIVES Preachrs Productions National Wine Centre Until 24 Feb 2018 Review by Fran Edwards If you close your eyes this production really is like a 1950s radio play - but if you did you would miss the enjoyment of seeing the actors’ faces and movements to the sound effects. The four players have a knack for comedy and great timing, changing characters and voices to cover all of the parts in these two detective stories which are very much of the era. The first tale is of a lady detective, Candy Matson, and the second relayed an insurance investigator called Johnny Dollar and the hilarious case of the case with no matter. Benjamin Maio Mackay, Eden Trebilco, Julia Sciacca and Jennifer Barry are very comfortable with their many characters and never miss a laugh line. Ably assisted by their sound operator, who was right on cue every time, the visual comedy was more than one would usually expect from a radio play. Their stage is set with four old style radio mics and a beautiful phonograph, which never gets used – although the intro music sounds like it came from one of its records. The emphasis is definitely more on comedy than mystery, but it is well played. All in all this is a pleasant way to spend an hour. Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)