The things that can happen…Two male commuters, who befriend each other, both married, can’t believe it when they start to fall in love with each other (‘A Change Of Heart’)…A middle-aged man takes a cross-country trip and contends with a bizarre, surreal journey (‘The Hitch Hiker’)…a German man, who grew up during World War 2, can’t stop thinking about his countrymen’s ambivalence as Jewish people were rounded up and taken away, is wilting away in an asylum (‘Asylum’).

These are the stories featured in ‘Such Is Life’, a program of three one Act plays currently being performed at the Henry Lawson theatre. Each play had its own distinctive appeal.

‘A Change Of Heart’ was one for the romantics. Aurel Vasilescu and Arpad Horvath subtly perform this piece, capably written and directed by local playwright Colleen Soper, with the use of snippets of popular love ballads adding to the play’s impact.

Lucille Fletcher’s ‘The Hitch Hiker’, directed by Joshua Crew, was a fun, entertaining piece. The storyline had a noir, ‘Twilight Zone’ feel to it. There was plenty of atmosphere with the radio play being performed live on stage. Jeff Brocktoff led a large cast of eight as the haunted protagonist. The set featured old radio mikes, a live pianist and a guy with headphones tuned in his ‘on-air’ sound booth. Local musician Alexander Gemin composed some great original music for the piece, and a highlight was the cast performing an advertisement for the Aussie icon, ‘Air Wick’.

The final piece for the night, ‘Asylum’ was one for lovers of confronting drama. Director Anthony Stirling- Edgar set the tone of the piece straight away projecting nightmarish images from the Holocaust before the action proper started.

This well written piece was eloquently performed by the two leads, David Attrill as the angst ridden Bauermann and Janet Boreham as the head psychiatrist who had to make an assessment as to whether he should be released back into the community.

‘Such Is Life’, an impressive evening of theatre, plays the cosy, intimate Henry Lawson theatre, Henry Lawson Avenue, Werrington, near Penrith, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, until Friday 4th June. Further details are available through the theatre’s website at- www.hltheatre.com.au.

23rd May, 2010