At least the actors learned their lines well (which you kind of expect from an actor), so this isn’t really much of a compliment but it’s always good to start on a positive. The show opens with the fairly common scenario of finding a new housemate and the trials and tribulations of embarking upon this. It was quite awkward to watch as the two girls didn’t seem to have any on stage connection between their characters and at times, lines were delivered flatly.
On paper it had all the makings of a great show - the cast have impressive credentials and the snippet of story on the flyer seemed intriguing but sadly these things did not materialise during the show.
Helen, the anxious, flappy one of the two, rushed and hurried around the stage like a startled rabbit and made everyone, including the audience, feel quite uneasy. But if that was the direction her character was trying to achieve then achieve it she did. The two pseudo-Irish men, who later appeared, spent a lot of their time running around shouting, weeping and spluttering which was too much for this small space and often rather unnecessary.
As the story progressed, ever so slowly, it became more and more unrealistic, with elements
so pointless that they just appeared to be filling the time. The constant reference to the ‘Keep
Calm and Carry On’ poster was out-dated and corny and the audience could be heard to let
out a rumbling groan every time it was referred to.
The absolute saviour and most hilarious part of the play was when the Irish jewel thieves were attempting (and failing) to tie the two flatmates up in clingfilm. It was genuinely really funny to watch; however, this wasn’t actually part of the show. This unintentional bungling surpassed anything that had been scripted and provided a welcomed break from the incessant cringing that preceded it.
The ending became predictable about halfway through the plot and then it was just a case of sitting, agonisingly, through the rest of the show until it was revealed. It was a shame because on paper it had all the makings of a great show - the cast have impressive credentials and the snippet of story on the flyer seemed intriguing but sadly these things did not materialise during the show.
