Three Blind Mice

Three sailors from the Australian Navy drink, fight and fornicate their way through the last night of leave, with unexpected consequences. Matthew Newton's well constructed if stagey debut benefits from some crackling dialogue and three likeable leads. It attempts to explore issues of loyalty, indoctrination and personal choice, with sporadic results: a subplot involving Ewen Leslie's character Sam's intention to go AWOL is superbly handled, but his compatriots feelings of guilt for their part in his dilemma are consistently fudged. By the somehow inevitable climax, lessons have been learned and insights achieved, and though it all feels a little unspectacular the experience is pleasurable enough.