Strangers in Between by Tommy Murphy. The Golden Goose Theatre, 146 Camberwell New Road, London SE5 to 7 October 2023.

3***: William Russell.

Directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher, not for the first time as there have been previous praised productions here, Murphy’s tale set in 2005 or thereabouts of Shane, played by Alex Ansdell, an innocent gormless country boy from a rather difficult family background fleeing to King’s Cross, then Sydney’s Red Light district is touching but has really nothing much to say that has not been said elsewhere. The cast do well – Stephen Connery Brown as Peter, the motherly old queen who takes a not totally disinterested in him, conjures him to the life which, as he has played the role four times before, is hardly surprising. As Ben, the pleasant hunk who gives him a sexual disease, and Will – or maybe it was the other way round – Matthew Mitcham, an Olympic Gold medallist in 2008, makes the distinction between the two with manifest skill and has an engaging stage presence. Ansdell making his professional debut is possibly a little too old to be a convincing little boy lost and seemed to have some trouble with his Australian accent early on but he is watchable enough. The whole thing really adds up to a case of been there, done that and got the sweatshirt to prove it and will pass the time well enough for the audience at which it is aimed . If it had to be done yet again then what now is a period piece is well enough done as one would expect from LAMBCO productions.

Cast

Matthew Mitcham -Ben/Will.

Stephen Connery-Brown – Peter.

Alex Ansdell – Shane.

Creatives

Director – Adam Spreadbury-Maher.

Designer – David Shields.

Original Composition – Aaron Clingham.

Lighting – Richard lambert.

Intimacy – Laurence Carmichael.

Dialect coach – Elspeth Morrison.