Runs until February 6. THE menace of AIDS was never far away in a play focusing on the lives of a group of homosexuals in Toronto, Canada.

Matt (Ben Daniels) and Rachel (Ruth Lass) are two thirty-something cartoonists, searching for a fulfilling relationship - but both looking for the perfect man.

Once married and now openly gay, Matt hankers for a more mature man after a string of meaningless three-month long affairs.

Enter Martin Yesterday (Ian Gelder), a HIV positive gay councillor who embarks on a roller-coaster ride of emotions with Matt.

But Martin's complex sexual past is never far away in the form of two young men - Rex (Daniel Roberts) and Yves (Nathan Wilcox).

Ruth watches from the sidelines as the relationship develops, eventually providing Matt with a shoulder to cry on.

There were strong performances from every cast member and some clever juxtaposition of scenes.

It is a stark, uncompromising piece of work with a script which is liberally littered with expletives and a plot punctuated by sex and drugs.

Playwright Brad Fraser conveys the anger and frustration dominating the gay characters' loves and lives. The horror of HIV hits the audience full on.

But need it have been so explicit? Perhaps I missed the point. But some members of the audience walked out when two naked cast members simulated homosexual sex.

At one point Matt is accused of using "easy imagery to shock people" in his cartoon work. Perhaps the same could be said of the playwright himself.

Dave Roberts

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