Myles Davies
A play about making a play doesn’t sound that funny to begin with...but trust me, it’s absolutely hilarious. With the stresses and strains of putting on a performance, things don’t exactly start off well.
The play starts backstage at the dress rehearsal, with the aptly named Dotty forgetting her lines and props with startling regularity, creating exasperation with the director who is almost immediately cursing but still keeping relatively cool at the beginning.
However, as things progress and we see backstage in part two, the actors are all over the show and at each other’s throats. The director is in a love triangle with the prompt and an actress, and the others all seem to be attacking each other. Tim the stage hand hasn’t been to bed for two days, and to top it all off Selsden has disappeared with some sort of alcohol to the men’s toilets. And that’s just the start.
If this all sounds rather confusing it really is, but the result is a spectacularly funny play with no end of laughs. It is always amusing to watch from behind the scenes as things go from bad to worse, and the best part is that it’s all part of the show!
My favourite part in the show comes in act two, where cast members backstage start chasing each other around with an axe, as by their final performance the cast are literally at each other’s throats.
Although I have no idea what it is like to rehearse and act a play, I could imagine this as an exaggerated version of what happens backstage, with the addition of some slapstick slipping over on sardines and falling down stairs comedy.
This is a play not to be missed, the best way to describe it would be a mix between a carry on film and Eastenders, but a hell of a lot funnier.
Ten out of ten from me, I haven’t laughed so much in ages, and if you don’t believe me go and see for yourselves!