Someone has breathed a breath of fresh air into the Ensemble Theatre in the form of the recent production by Shannon Murphy. To say the least I was very surprised with this stage play as it is not what I expected at all… well I had no idea what to expect.

Five lonely individuals embark on a course run by Marty (Eliza Logan). The reasons these individuals do this course varies but eventually they all open up and develop a bond. James (Alan Dukes) is the partner of Marty and helps her along with her course, Schultz (Paul Gleeson) is recently divorced and keen to move on with his life, Theresa (Jenni Baird) has returned home to help care for a sick father and Lauren (Chloe Bayliss) is a young and very eager girl wishing to become an actor. This is one very eclectic group of people.

Shannon Murphy is an up and coming director with an incredible range of work already accumulated. She has maintained the true idea of this story and made sure it is clear and articulate and captures the attention of the audience the whole time through out Circle Mirror Transformation.

American playwright Annie Baker has created a story that every audience member can relate to. There is always a time where you question your existence and don’t know what you want from life. This is told beautifully through each character on stage.

This ensemble cast all work well on stage together. There is no real point when they lose your attention. Both the story and the character development are engaging and keep you on your toes for almost two hours.

Chloe Bayliss as Lauren is dark and brooding as your typical teenager. Her performance is strong and very consistence throughout and you truly believe she is actually sixteen. Paul Gleeson damn funny and genuine as Schultz and Eliza Logan as Marty is what you expect your aging hippie persona to be – except without the smell of patchouli oil wafting around the auditorium.

Live theatre is a great experience especially when it is this good. So do yourself a favour and go see Circle Mirror Transformation.

Follow Matt D’Silva on Twitter @MattDSilva