Reviews
A Thousand Words Review
What better way to experience community theatre on a crisp Friday evening than at the Domain Theatre, discovering Galleon Theatre Group’s latest production, Wrong Turn at Lungfish. A powerful cast of 4 have come together to present a 2-Act drama written by Garry Marshall & Lowell Ganz, taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster for a couple of hours. While this production can easily be described as a 2-hander with an additional 2 minor characters, each actor was equal in their character development and their knowledge and understanding of the text, story and their character arc.
Wrong Turn at Lungfish is the story of Peter Ravenswaal, a blind, bitter and widowed college professor, and his encounter with Anita, a saucy, street wise young woman who volunteers to read to him in the hospital. He's a widower facing death alone, she's the mistreated lover of a low-rent mob enforcer named Dominic. By the end of the play, the clash of intellect and wit takes the two from animosity and fear to friendship and understanding.
This is the second time Rosie Aust has donned the director's hat for this play, the first being with St. Judes in 2014. The hard work she has put into bringing each of these characters to life by nurturing and moulding the actors into the roles is noteworthy. When majority of every scene is two actors talking, and moving back and forth across the stage, it takes a magic touch to keep the audience engaged. While partial credit goes to Marshall and Ganz for the text they have provided, credit also needs to be afforded to the director and her creative team.
Peter Ravenswall’s student nurse is portrayed brilliantly by Tianna Cooper. Despite questioning her desire to be a nurse, the character develops an estranged-esque familial bond with Ravenswall, being the only nurse that will care and tend to his needs. As a minor character, there is limited text, limited discovery of character traits and limited opportunities to provide an equal impression on the audience, but Cooper excelled in taking advantage of every chance she was provided, from the bitchy nurse to the party animal!
Wade Cook has appeared in numerous musical theatre productions, but this is his first straight play, portraying antagonist Dominic De Caesar, and he did so with gusto, providing the audience with just enough disgust to make us want our widowed college professor to beat him a little harder with his walking stick. There is a small moment where Cook is provided the opportunity to show a softer side to his character, discussing opera with Peter, before whipping back into his bad-boy persona, and it shone a spotlight on Cook’s acting ability, hitting all the right moments. Waiting until the second act to discover the mysterious Dominic was an interesting choice by the authors and limited the chances Cook had to show his skillset to the audience.
Dora Stamos returns for a third production with Galleon, taking on the role of Anita Merendino – a character who visits the blind elderly to read books to them, but soon develops an interesting and complicated relationship with Peter Ravenswall. Being one half of the two-hander provided a lot of text-driven behaviour that Stamos bested, and has the audience rooting for her, even after the climactic betrayal in the final scene. There are many character and relationship traits between Stamos and Cook that toys with the idea of an Italian Audrey and Orin from Little Shop of Horrors. Nonetheless, their relationship while toxic to no end, was blocked and workshopped well.
Tony Busch reprises his role as Peter Ravenswall, last performed with St. Jude’s in their 2014 production. Though I didn’t see that show, I’m confident those audiences would have enjoyed his performance as much as we do now. He handled the complexities of his character with compassion and confidence. There is an array of emotions this character needs to journey through to keep the audience on side, despite the risk of alienation by being too intelligent for his own good, and Busch was exceptional in taking on all of this and meeting expectations. I can appreciate the need to “act” blind for 2 hours, and the exhausting mentality this comes with, and so I commend Bush’s performance further in keeping this pretence for most of his performance.
The story is solely set in a hospital room, allowing a box set to be constructed around the action, with a toilet room to one side, and the hallway on the other side. As the curtain opens for the beginning of Act One, we are taken back to an 80’s sitcom set, reminiscent of the author’s more famous works Happy Days, or Mork and Mindy, with the chosen green, the oil heaters, the window blinds and other dated props and finishings. Upon researching this play, the time suggests Present Day on the licensing website, so I respect the designers’ vision to use an alternative time period, because it worked. Also noteworthy is the lighting in the final moments of the final scene… I’m not saying anything more about it, but to witness the magic in these moments, you’ll need to check out the play.
Being based in New York, the thick accent is expected, and through majority of the play, it's evident and strong, however there were a few small moments where the odd line slipped back into our natural Australian accent. Opening Night comes with a couple of natural hiccups, which are usually ironed out quite quickly, and hopefully this happens with the awkward long pause in the scene change between scene 2 and 3… but when these are the only criticisms I think to mention, Galleon Theatre Group should be immensely proud they have produced an almost perfect production. I can understand why they are regular award winners.
Reviewed by Andrew Broadbent 02/05/2025
GLAM Adelaide Review
Galleon Theatre Group are well known for their high quality productions but their latest, Wrong Turn At Lungfish is of exceptional quality and an unmitigated stand out!!
The play, written by Garry Marshall (TV series The Lucy Show, The Odd Couple, Happy Days) and Lowell Ganz (Happy Days, Night Shift, Splash), is a well written dramatic comedy/comedic drama. Focusing on a blind University Dean, Peter Ravenswall (Tony Busch), who has been hospitalized and near death, and his volunteer book reader, Anita Meredino (Dora Stamos), the play brings these two complete opposites together eventually finding common ground. The curious title refers to the evolution of Humankind and is explained well in the script – so go see the play.
After quite a break from theatre, Rosie Aust has returned to show that she has lost none of her skill when it comes to directing. If there’s a laugh to be had or a tear to be shed, Aust has found them all. Being a fairly wordy play, Aust also makes sure that there is movement happening all the time, even in the tiniest facial inflections of the cast. Her tight direction is carried out on a fantastic “private hospital room” set (complete with an authentic hospital bed – trust this reviewer, he has had extensive experience with the real thing) designed by Aust, Kym Clayton and Michael Ralph, and appropriately dressed by Properties Coordinator Elaine Latcham.
The entire set and production is wonderfully lit by Trish Winfield’s beautiful lighting design. The very end vision of the play is absolutely stunning lighting and acting wise.
Speaking of acting, there is really only one word that can describe Busch and Stamos’ performances – MAGNIFICENT!!
Busch is another person who has had a hiatus from theatre but doesn’t show it in his phenomenal performance as the blind, irascible Ravenswall. This reviewer knows and has acted with this actor and never once did I find myself thinking he wasn’t blind. Busch has obviously researched blindness and has it down pat every second that he is on stage and that is most of the play. We watch his every move and listen to his every word; that’s how compelling he is. Stamos gives an equally compelling performance as street-wise Anita. This performance definitely shows why she was awarded last year’s title of Best Performer In A Play from the Theatre Association of South Australia. Looking every inch Fran Drescher (but with more realism), Stamos enchants and enthralls us from her very first entrance (where she doesn’t even say a word). Standing ovation worthy performances from both.
Busch and Stamos are more than ably supported by Tianna Cooper as the Nurse and Wade Cook as Anita’s no-hoper boyfriend Dominic De Caesar. Cooper gives the nurse a nice bite to the character whilst still managing to show a soft side occasionally. Considering this is Cook’s first non-musical (they are very different acting animals, trust me), he does quite well. His first appearance seemed a bit too restrained and slightly shy, but the rest of his appearances had the aggression and power required to match his stereotypical “hoodlum” uniform of all black clothing bar the required white tee-shirt.
Please take the wrong turn and detour to this tour-de-force production. You won’t be sorry.
Reviewed by Brian Godfrey 02/05/2025
Stage Whispers Review
Galleon Theatre Group are based in the Domain Theatre in Marion. This intimate space suits their latest offering perfectly. The action takes place in one room for the entirety of the play. A hospital room, designed by Rosie Aust, Kym Clayton and Michael Ralph and dressed by Elaine Latcham, provides a large performing space for the action to follow.
Wrong Turn at Lungfish is the brainchild of the late Hollywood writer and director Garry Marshall, and Lowell Ganz; both have enjoyed much success in television and movies, with such classics as Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. This nineties dramedy holds up well and showcases the talents of the writers. Tackling relationships, connection, loss and ultimately friendship, characters try to find meaning in their lives. The script is sublime, and director Rosie Aust does well to find its compassion amidst the serious subject matter.
A former college dean, Peter Ravenswaal is hospitalised and dying. Losing his wife 12 months prior and recently losing his sight, has left him lonely and despondent. Friendless, with only one student nurse played with attitude by Tiana Cooper willing to assist him, his life brightens, when reading volunteer, Anita Meredino enters his life. With her thick Brooklyn drawl and uneducated charm, she somehow manages to soften the veneer of our crusty protagonist. The relationship that develops between this odd couple is surprising, but they soon find common ground with their mutual interest in evolution. The title of this play is soon explained.
Veteran of the stage, Tony Busch is reprising his role as Peter Ravenswaal. His experience is evident as he delivers a nuanced portrayal of a cantankerous old man facing the end of his life. Busch plays a blind man convincingly, navigating the open space and being careful not to focus on any person or object. His performance is outstanding. The relationship he develops with Anita is at the centre of this story. Aust is to be applauded for her excellent casting of these two pivotal roles. Both actors understood the task, their chemistry allowed for realistic and emotionally charged characterisation and I for one was invested in the outcome.
Dora Stamos as Anita Meredino was superb, carrying with her a naïve charm, she was careful not to overplay her accent. She provided much needed comic relief when reading the likes of Keats and Schopenhauer, to the delightful annoyance of Ravenswaal. Meredino is an optimist and dreamer, she has her heart set on marriage to her wayward and abusive boyfriend Dominic De Caesar, played by Wade Cook, who we meet in act two. His arrival brings with it a darkness, as we learn of the true nature of his relationship with Anita. Thankfully, the bond between our leads has strengthened and the story concludes, with our faith restored in humanity.
Production values were of the highest quality, which you come to expect of Galleon. Lighting design by Trish Winfield captured intimate moments beautifully. Galleon made a brave choice with this production, and it paid off in spades. This is a thought-provoking and entertaining night at the theatre and deserves many bums on seats.
Reviewed by Kerry Cooper 1803/05/2025
That Guy in the Foyer Review
The Barefoot Review
Thank goodness for Community Theatre of the standard of ‘Wrong Turn at Lungfish!’ When Arts Minister Andrea Michaels seemed affronted during a recent ABC 891 Radio interview by the suggestion $80 million over a decade might not be a sufficient budget to support the Arts- all the Arts- she may have been oblivious to the dire state of professional theatre in South Australia. Dire because a city the size of Adelaide supports so few professional productions. Our dear Arts Minister needs to get out to see so called amateur work like this to appreciate the scope that exists to develop the professional space in this State!
‘Wrong Turn at Lungfish,’ showcases what lives in that space!
There’s nothing like the prospect of mortality to provoke introspection and prompt great belly laughs! Sublime writing by Gary Marshall and Lowell Ganz, somewhat reminiscent of Niel Simon in its often brusque, sharp wit, is a gift this Galleon Theatre Group ensemble does not squander
Tony Busch, Dora Stamos and Tianna Cooper are simply outstanding, while Wade Cook shows promise. But I am ahead of myself!
A bold choice for a small community theatre group, ‘Wrong Turn at Lungfish’ explores the many complexities of being human and connecting with others, sometimes completely unexpectedly, when we stumble upon our shared humanity through vulnerability.
Peter Ravenswaal (Tony Busch), an embittered former Dean of a college, is highly literate, blind and struggling to come to terms with the illness that will eventually see to his demise.
Young New York Italian, Anita Meredino (Dora Stamos), probably from “Hell’s Kitchen” given Stamos’ superb accent, is barely literate but gifted with intuitive intelligence by birth and street smarts by necessity. Volunteering for a reading- for- the-blind organization brings Anita into Ravenswaal’s embittered orbit weekly, while an unfortunate student Nurse (Tianna Cooper) must suffer Ravenswaal’s grief driven tantrums and tirades because no one else will. Having lost his wife but a year earlier, Ravenswaal is immersed in grief for her and his own impending mortality. Hearsay brings us to know Dora’s boyfriend Dominic (Wade Cook), something of a ne’er do well, , and to suspect all is not as it seems. Marshall and Ganz’s beautifully drawn cocktail of character dynamics is an ensemble actor’s dream, one this trio of capable actors make the most of. Ravenswaal variously cajoles, taunts, rejects and educates Anita as he demands she read Schappenhaur, Keats and Elliot, among others, while his love for Beethoven both punctuates and underscores his intellectual and emotional acuity. Ravenswaal’s observation that humanity made a “wrong turn at Lungfish” foreshadows what is to come. Anita counters with increasingly clever wit and disarming honesty as the barriers between these unlikely, yet entirely believable, friends collapse.
Act One crackles with the energy of this battle of wits and vulnerabilities as Ravenswaal and Anita find mutual respect and fondness. Cooper is masterful in her rendition of the harried Nurse, her insights into the character reflected in the rollercoaster of her interactions with Ravenswaal.
Act Two sees the appearance of Dominic, a thug of a man for all the usual cliched reasons; somehow Marshall and Ganz’s script keeps him on the better side of stereotype. Wade Cook, a musical theatre performer tackling his first stage show, gives the character a good crack but doesn’t quite find the depth of Dominic implicit in the text. To be fair, Cook is contending with an entrance halfway through a play with a well-established rhythm and the stella performances of his cast mates. It’s a tough gig matching such energy late in the piece. However, Cook does well to convey the brutishness Dominic brings to what is more an arrangement with Dora than a relationship; unfortunately, Dora sees it as the latter. An element of the elegance of the writing is how Dora’s doubts, which Ravenswaal intuits, are laced through the fabric of the text.
T.S.Elliott’s ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’ provides a poignantly beautiful and moving bookend to this superb production.
Set design by director Rosie Aust, Galleon Theatre President Kym Clayton, and Michael Ralph is best summarized as eminently award worthy. Trish Winfield’s Lighting Design, Warren McKenzie’s (Galleon’s VP) Sound Design and Mary Cummins great costume design each and collectively support this great production well.
A superb example of community theatre at its best, ‘Wrong Turn at Lungfish,’ is yet another production I’ve reviewed featuring tertiary trained actors, something I would ask our Minister for the Arts to reflect on when spruiking Arts budgets. Where are the professional opportunities for such actors in South Australia?
Thankfully companies like Galleon, The Rep and Norther Light are providing some.
‘Wrong Turn at Lungfish,’ Go! See it!
Reviewed by John Doherty 02/05/2025
Theatre Association of SA (TASA) Review
Galleon Theatre Group’s production of Wrong Turn at Lungfish, directed by Rosie Aust, is a tender, funny, and well-crafted piece of theatre that strikes a beautiful balance between laughter and heartache. Written by Garry Marshall and Lowell Ganz, this play explores unlikely connections and the power of compassion in unexpected places.
At the heart of the production are Peter Ravenswaal, a once-prominent Dean of a liberal arts college who has recently lost his sight, and Anita Merendino, a cheerful, streetwise volunteer who reads to the blind. Tony Busch, as Ravenswaal, delivered a performance layered with vulnerability beneath his character’s crabby exterior. Busch’s portrayal of blindness was utterly natural—never once did it feel forced or inauthentic—allowing the audience to fully invest in his character’s emotional struggle as he faces death.
The chemistry between Busch and Stamos was palpable, making their evolving relationship entirely believable. Their scenes crackled with both humour and tenderness, drawing the audience into their growing bond. Watching Anita and Peter gradually peel back each other’s layers—learning, sparring, and eventually caring—was deeply satisfying. The play touches on themes that feel urgent today, including domestic violence, coercive control, and the ongoing struggle against patriarchal systems. Ravenswaal’s speech about the oligarchs controlling the world and especially control over women, felt uncomfortably and importantly relevant in our current era.
The student nurse, played by Tianna Cooper, showed both visible exasperation at her difficult patient with a genuine sense of duty and care when it mattered most. Wade Cook, as Dominic De Caesar, Anita’s menacing boyfriend, brought an aggressive edge to his scenes, with convincingly forceful physicality and anger. I felt there was room for greater subtlety in his portrayal, and at times his accent was inconsistent, which occasionally distracted from an otherwise tense performance.
The set, designed by Rosie Aust, Kym Clayton, and Michael Ralph, was simple yet highly effective. From the hospital bed and tray to the cleverly placed doors—a bathroom door giving us just a glimpse inside, and another leading out to the hallway—every detail grounded the world in realism. The shuttered windows were an inspired touch, not only completing the look but providing an ideal canvas for evocative lighting.
Lighting design by Trish Winfield, executed with Andrew Clark, was a standout feature. The windows allowed for smooth shifts from daytime to night, with a particularly well-crafted sunset effect that felt natural and atmospheric. One of the true highlights came at the end of the play: as the story reached its emotional conclusion, the lighting drew focus onto Ravenswaal and Merendino, slowly condensing before fading away with Ravenswaal’s life. It was an elegant, poignant visual that perfectly matched the mood.
Director Rosie Aust handled the material with great sensitivity, allowing both the humour and the raw emotion to breathe. The pacing was well-judged, with natural slowdowns in tempo where needed to let moments land. There was only one scene change where a slightly longer blackout seemed to break the flow, but otherwise, the rhythm of the piece kept the audience fully engaged. Aust’s direction invited the audience into the room as if we were flies on the wall, observing the unfolding of something deeply human and relatable.
Wrong Turn at Lungfish is a rare gem that deftly combines humour with heartfelt emotion, and Galleon Theatre Group’s production captured both beautifully. Anchored by the stellar performances of Tony Busch and Dora Stamos, whose chemistry was the heart of the show, this production had me laughing out loud while also touching on themes that feel incredibly relevant today. With a clever set, thoughtful lighting, and direction that balanced comedy with heart, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre. If you’re looking for a production that will make you laugh, think, and leave you with a smile, this is one you won’t want to miss.
Reviewed by Terry Mountstephen 02/05/2025
The Clothesline
It is a delight to behold the play’s setting when the curtain opens. The attention to detail from the Galleon Theatre Group crew in this production is superb, and the show is both fabulously funny and thought-provoking entertainment.
A dying man throw barbs and insults at his visitor with deadly accuracy and with flawless wit in his hospital room, yet they are either deflected or turned into opportunities to tell him more about her life. Why, we ask, is she being so nice to him?
The friction between these two individuals is palpable, and understandable given they could not be any more different. We expect them to gradually find some common ground, to share some
humanity, but the relationship that develops is fraught with deception and distrust. However, despite their rocky road there is hopefully redemption waiting, if only at the last gasp of breath. Humour permeates this brilliant script like the bubbles in a bottle of fine bubbly wine, and the waves of laughter rippling out alternate with pregnant silences as we take in the awesome breadth of serious themes they explore.
The dying man is hoping to find some answers to the ‘big’ questions in the time left him: from the futility of life to wondering why human beings are capable of both extremes, the sublime heights of powerful poetry and the depths of raw violence.
When these extremes literally collide on stage the result is electrifying. And the questions that keep coming resonate with each of us – especially, do we just accept what happens, or will we take responsibility for our own actions?
There are excellent, strong performances all round from this ensemble, with all four characters well-rounded and consummately crafted. The pacing is spot-on, demonstrating the decisive and delicate hand of a deft director, Rosie Aust.
Together they make the play come alive as only live theatre can, in the best possible way; a suspenseful, riveting story you would swear is real, that grabs you from the get-go and doesn’t let you go.
The surprise dramatic twist towards the end is perfectly placed to reveal the truth, but then there is still that strange, ineffable thing called love in all its forms to contend with. And perhaps love is all that matters in the end.
5 stars
Reviewed by David Cronin 02/05/2025
