It’s a thrilling thing to walk into a performance space and immediately get the feeling that what you’re about to see is something uniquely different.

As I walked into what felt like a European café bar to watch Fake Porno, it was as if I (and the other audience members) were the unassuming public of Belgrade and immediately treated as part of the narrative; fellow citizens in the sad, lonely, desperate population of the Serbian capital throughout the 1990’s.

This is definitely a character-driven script – essentially comprised of engrossing monologues by six young citizens of Belgrade in the 1990s. Their web is woven together by a fatherly cab driver, portrayed with awe-inspiring skill by Jim Daly – hold your breath for his final monologue.

As we become familiar with each character the image of a corroding society unfolds – one personal tale after another of desperation fuelled by drugs, sex and loneliness against the backdrop of a city in ruin.

As depressing as this sounds, there are also plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, perhaps because even in Australia of 2008, we identify with these characters more than we realise. It is a credit to director Bojana Novakovic that her interpretation of the original Serbian script has successfully translated the range of emotions required to make this production as gripping as it was.

In parts, I felt as though Fake Porno could have been set in any European city – each character was somewhat of a stereotype, communicating personal problems no doubt felt by anyone regardless of geography. It was only towards the end that the script revealed the relevance of setting the play in such a troubled city.

The creative aspects of this production were original and inspired – I especially enjoyed the Serbian Euro-pop music played sporadically throughout. Novakovic’s use of the limited space is most effective, and the cast is one of the best I’ve seen assembled for an independent theatre production in years (Daly, Daniel Frederiksen, Louise Quill, Hallie Shellam, Peta Sergeant and Miles Wharton-Thomas).

RideOn Theatre has done a marvelous job with Fake Porno and Melbourne can only benefit from having this company contribute to its underground theatre scene. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.