State Theatre Company, in association with Arts Asia Pacific and Power Arts, is staging the world premiere season of this new work by Matthew Robinson, a talented young writer, lyricist and composer. Robinson wrote the book, the songs, and the score for Metro Street, winning the Pratt Foundation’s Prize for Musical Theatre along the way. With a cash prize of $50,000 and an award of $30,000 toward producing the work, Robinson probably made more money from Metro Street before it even opened than many Australian playwrights ever see. Since then, the play has had seven rewrites to become the show that opened this week and was rewarded with a hearty standing ovation.

Metro Street focuses on the challenges we all face – study, career, relationships, life and death. This is ordinary life set to music as Sue (Debra Byrne) rails against her estranged husband and battles cancer; her son Chris is torn between his live-in love Amy, his loyalty to his Mum, and his career ambitions; Amy sees her romantic dreams with Chris come tumbling down; their next-door neighbour Kerry, three time Miss Wangaratta, finds her way in the big city; and Jo, the matriarch of the family, tries valiantly to keep it all together for everyone.

The ensemble cast is brilliantly led by Debra Byrne (Sue) and Nancye Hayes (Jo), although it’s Hayes who gets all the best lines. The three young performers, Cameron Goodall, Jude Henshall and Verity Hunt-Ballard, are all exceptionally good and deserve every success. Special mention should go to stage designer Victoria Lamb and lighting designer Geoff Cobham who together create the perfect mood for this piece.

Buy Australian! Go see Metro Street - it deserves full houses every night. Dunstan Playhouse until April 25