Several unsuccessful attempts over the years to actually read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy found this reviewer in a state of mild anticipation at the decision by the BMDS to stage the play version at Daylesford. Perhaps the magic would at last be revealed, admitting one more, admittedly tardy, admirer to the huge circle of devotees who have elevated the author of this celestial saga into a cult figure on both sides of the Atlantic.

Well, almost three hours of inter-galactic travel left this particular soul irrevocably earth-bound. Much of the satirical humour sounded contrived and surprisingly dated and some of the genuinely funny lines were lost, either through too rapid speech or the inability to compete with the electronic voices that permeated the proceedings. Maybe it's just a case of "love it or hate it'' -- but for me, this was an evening of almost unrelieved boredom.

This is a pity because director Chris March has directed this massive production with intense enthusiasm, producing some wondrous stage effects and coaxing some excellent performances from the large cast.

The stage version, which is a compendium of the 1978 serialised radio play and five books, centres around a character, Arthur Dent, who seems pretty spaced-out in a whiny sort of way even before he is spirited away from Earth just before it is demolished to make way for a galactic express bypass. He is guided on his interminable journey through space and time by an alien guide, cutely named Ford Prefect.

Paul Matthews stumbled through this role with suitably mounting bewilderment and Juli Crockett, masquerading as a male version of the guide, made an impressively bossy Prefect.

Rebecca Lamont brought some genuine glamour to the role of Trillian, girl-friend of Zaphod Beeblebrox, ex self-styled boss of the Universe who was played with a nicely menacing sophistication by Paul Maccoy.

Annette Hallett, dressed as a California-style beach bum holding fort from the top of a life-saver's lookout, took on the main burden of the evening in her role as the Narrator. She must be congratulated on learning so perfectly the long litany of events, non-events and near-events. That her part in the proceedings added to the sense of ennui was not all her fault, but more the director's, who allowed her to speak far too fast (at least it speeded things up a bit), but more unfortunately, presented her as a chatty, casual sort of gal. This role cries out for a man of resonant voice and sardonic demeanour whose every revelation whets the appetite for the next catastrophe in this doomsday diary. As it was, her voice, like those lettuces in Mr. McGregor's garden, had a distinctly soporific effect.

John Lough, in his role as a naval captain, directing the operations of one would-be set of planetary colonisers from his bath tub, was one of the thespian delights of the evening, as was George Rushe in a witty portrayal of Startibartfast.

But it was the superb visual images and the overall sound effects that just diverted this production from its own artistic doomsday.

The set, designed by Stephen Conger and constructed by a team led by Bob Duffy, was outstanding in its simple design of scaffold-like structures, slide and platforms that gave a real semblance of space.

The lighting, designed by Artie Reese as a kaleidescope of every-changing and highly dramatic colour effects set a seal of professionalism on this ambitious production.

Congratulation, too, on the whole, for the sound design of Nicholas Comber and his huge retinue of workers, who managed to produce a barrage of atmospheric noises that would do credit to the Star Ship Enterprise in one of its dodgier moments. At times, there was some distortion of volume that tended to drown out the on-stage actors. But, in the main, it was a great effort.

Some long pauses in between the events on this journey added to the episodic effect, as if we were witnessing a series of sketches rather than a play.

Above all, author Douglas Adams has spawned a "look out, folks, this is way-out!'' brand of humour which is totally impersonal. It is difficult to care one way or another about any of his characters, whether they solved the meaning of the universe, or where they finally ended up. And I suspect I was not the only one wishing they had got there a whole lot sooner.

PATRICIA CALNAN.

ANNETTE HALLETT -- Played the role of the Narrator.