As detective Goldman hunches in his raincoat, a melancholic sax solo in the air, it isn’t just him who has the “strange feeling” that he’s been here before. Those with any familiarity with film noir will find plenty  to amuse them in this parody, in which a detective with a fondness for speaking to himself is pitted against an actor and his disturbingly lifelike dummy. While the plot has potential, however, it has too many strands for a half hour production, making it easy to become lost in the murky realm of fragile egos, fires and fedoras. As every Chandler criminal learns, having everything comes at a cost – but this is a good effort from a young cast.

theSpace on the Mile, until 9 Aug, 2.00pm.
tw rating 3/5 | [Sarah Richardson]