We are underway on a cruise we’ll call Swinging 101. Several couples new to swinging are about to learn the ropes on an expensive, confined cruise ship from which there is no escape if things go south. Opportunities for situational comedy abound.

Written by Living National Treasure David Williamson, our hopes for this world premiere to be a late-breaking masterpiece are as lofty as the high seas.

State Theatre Company South Australia’s The Puzzle. Photo © Matt Byrne

Mandy (Ansuya Nathan) is working on a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle while offering herself as a temptress who knows what she wants. Drew (Erik Thomson) is a wistful accountant, whose naiveté presents the challenge of an early and massive leap in logic. Accepting the unfathomable premise, we sail on.

As the double entendres commence, we start to get a sinking feeling. Longing to be buoyed by the expected clever dramatic arc, we are feeling all at sea as it becomes increasingly difficult to invest in the panoply of unlikeable characters who are sailing close to the wind and seeking out any port in a storm.