ORGANISED MATHEM, BUT CLASS EMERGES
Author: KEN HEALEY
Date: 21/09/1991
Publication: The Sun Herald

AT THE Hunter Valley Theatre Company, playwright David Allen has adapted
Dymphna Cusack's novel of wartime Newcastle, Southern Steel.
There are 69 scenes in two hours of traffic on the stage.

Especially in the first act I became a little frustrated that none of them
developed far.

The second act is much more dramatically satisfying, though the script has
all the hallmarks of waiting to be expanded into a superb mini-series.

Brent McGregor has plotted and paced his cast skilfully through the myriad
of detail.

Standards are uniformly high, with Ron Graham and David Wenham (the
red-haired brother in The Boys) joining five local actors in what ought to
be Newcastle's most popular show for a long time.

Helped by a very wide stage area, designer Brett Mickan has provided a
large variety of playing areas, without ever blurring the focus of the
action