Jupiter Laughs

PLAY CAST EXCELS

Members of Brisbane Repertory Theatre are to be congratulated on their standard of productions and acting in A.J.Cronin's play "Jupiter Laughs" in the Albert Hall last night.

What a pity they had to waste so many good or competent performances on such a piece of theatrical rubbish. 

It would be hard to find another play by a well-known author in which such shameless use had been made of the most thread-bear cliches of melodrama. 

Edmond Bourke carried the burden of this farrago remarkably well considering that he was expected to begin as a doctor rather more adolescent than Juliet Jones' Dr Cheb Davis and to end as an Albert Schweitzer. Blair Hefferan brought a great deal of shy charm to the woman doctor who died saving his precious formula - a sacrifice which appeared to transform his life. 

Alan Denby, Ellis Chesney, Donald McTaggart and Maureen Maume all breathed what life they could into the stock types they were asked to represent.

Roger Covell, Courier-Mail 17 June 1954