Set in Australia in 1953, it might be easy nowadays to dismiss Ray Lawler's classic working-class drama, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, as a play of its time. It would be a gross injustice and nothing could be further from the truth as evidenced in Pigeonhole Theatre's powerful, moving and relevant production, currently playing at the Q.

The Doll, as it is affectionately known, resonates with the conflicts and themes of a classic tragedy. The play about two cane cutters, Roo (Craig Alexander) and Barney (Dene Kermond), who for 16 years have returned to Melbourne to spend the five months of their layoff with Olive (Jordan Best) and her friend Nancy, opens with Olive and Nancy's replacement, Pearl (Andrea Close), awaiting the arrival of the two men with another kewpie doll to commemorate their 17th summer.

Director Karen Vickery instils portent in the opening projection of the flickering flames of destruction sweeping through the canefield. Michael Sparks' patterned fabric walls, suspended on slender rods arouse a pervasive sense of impending fragility about to disrupt the ordered life of previous summers and cause Olive's world of contentment to descend into chaos. Pigeonhole's revival of Lawler's seminal drama captures the authentic tragedy of ordinary Australians incapable of adapting to changing circumstances.

Lawler creates a cascading scenario of circumstance and consequence. The Doll is steeped in irony and contradiction. Pearl is invited to make up the foursome and yet is unable to live up to Nancy's reputation. Roo arrives with no money, having suffered humiliation at the hands of the new top gun Johnny Dowd (Alex Hoskison). Next-door neighbour Bubba (Zoe Priest) is no longer a child and yet longs for the summers she has witnessed as the past falls apart before her eyes. Only Olive's mother Emma (Liz Bradley) provides the voice of reason. "How long did you think these layoffs would last?" she says to Roo.

Vickery's casting and attention to character detail is flawless and she is served well by an excellent ensemble of performers. Each character is played with careful attention to the physical, emotional and intellectual individuality of his or her role and its function in portraying the vast canvas of Lawler's insight into the dreams, lives and loves of his authentic Australian characters. Lawler and Pigeonhole give voice to the vices and the virtues of a society long past but a humanity ever-present.

If you have never seen a production of this seminal work of the Australian dramatic canon, then Pigeonhole's production must not be missed. If you know the play and have seen previous productions, then you will be thrilled by the opportunity to revisit such an insightful and incisive interpretation of The Doll.