A THEATRICAL THREESOME PART II Venture Theatre Company Trinity Uniting Hall Until 12 May 2012 Review by Maggie Wood A THEATRICAL THREESOME PART II Venture Theatre Trinity Uniting Hall Until 12 May 2012 It might have been a chilly night in Christies Beach, but Venture’s opening night of ‘A Theatrical Threesome Part II’ showed that it is community theatre in every sense: the hall was filled with locals who were there to see their friends, family and neighbours on stage and they were out for some fun. 'A Theatrical Threesome Part II' is the second time Venture has had a night of one act plays. The first play was ‘Lucrezia Borgia’s Little Party’, a short farce that saw the death potion mixed up with the love potion to chaotic effect. Director Lucy Marshallsay did well in moving her cast around a much reduced space on the small stage, due to the centrepiece of a large dining table. Colin Grace as Baldassare gained some low key laughs as the hapless manservant. Second of the plays was ‘Nobody Famous’, directed by Lisa Aveyard and Jermaine Toetu. Fortune teller Madame Mooch (Shelley Carmen) is accurate in her predictions for friends Brenda (Chloe Bridle) and Heather (Cherie Murdoch), but they don’t come true quite in the way they thought. Carmen plays it to the crowd for laughs – and gets them - while Murdoch has some talent that should make her one to watch for the future. The third of the trilogy is ‘Going Up’, Directed by Luke Wagner. An unlikely bunch find themselves trapped in the waiting room between heaven and hell, and at the mercy of an angel with attitude. Absolute stand out was Kim Stewart playing the upwardly-mobile wife of a used car salesman. Strong grasp of character, focus and a great sense of comedy made an ostensibly unlikeable character very watchable and elicited most of the real laughs of the night. It is unfair to compare Community Theatre to other sectors that have more resources and experience. It is where theatre begins, where most of our great actors begin and it provides not only a fertile soil for up and coming directors, actors and techs, but also provides a great service in binding the community together. Venture Theatre ticks all of these boxes.