Search

Toggle dark mode:

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Charlie and Striptease

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 3 Published: 29 Apr 2026 Golden Goose Theatre Show Dates: 21 Apr 2026-9 May 2026

The double bill of political satires by the award-winning Polish playwright Sławomir Mrożek at The Golden Goose Theatre date from when the country formed part of the Soviet Union. Charlie and Striptease, written in 1961, are examples of his distinctive blend of absurdity and social commentary.

Be transported into an age when innovative theatre challenged regimes

Director Orsolya Nagy says, “The Theatre of the Absurd in East-Central Europe carried a critical political statement and reflected on the absurdity of life in the communist era.” Although times and circumstances have changed, the power of regimes, threats to civil liberties and the controlling arm of the state still make them relevant today.

The parts in Charlie and Striptease are respectively played as follows: Occulist/Man 1, Rowland D. Hill; Grandson/Man 2, Simon Brandon; Grandfather/Hand 1, Kenneth Michaels; and Hand 2, Orsolya Nagy. In both, lighting designer Matthew Biss successfully sets the required mood.

Charlie opens with the rather posh Occulist semi-recumbent, reading and snacking on his sofa. He is disturbed by a loud banging on the door. He lets in the old man, armed with a hunting rifle, and his grandson. They have come to kill Charlie, but wouldn’t know him if they saw him, and the Occulist assures them that he doesn’t live here. Through a series of bizarre conversations the Occulist is drawn into the ludicrous situation, becoming part of the scheme. Ultimately he accepts the outrageous as normal and effectively becomes a co-conspirator.

In Striptease, two strangers walk through streets of dense fog and enter a room through opposite doors. It is empty, but for two dining chairs. They carry matching briefcases and are dressed identically in dark suits, white shirts and black ties, even down to the red and white striped underwear; the colours of the Polish flag (intentional or just coincidence?). We know this because a mysterious hand, that silently protrudes from the wings, gestures that they are to divest themselves one item at a time.

Why they are there remains a mystery. Any thoughts of leaving are quashed when the doors lock, but the situation initiates a debate about the nature of choice and free will that is ultimately brought to nought by the controlling hand, to whom they succumb.

Michaels brings comic relief to Charlie, while Brandon confidently delivers the absurdist thrust of non-sequiturs to the nervous and jittery Hill, who tries to accommodate his nonsense. He contrasts this performance in Striptease with a deadpan logicality that pleads for rationality against Brandon’s angst-driven Man 2.

In two disparate situations, each play allows for interpretations of the exercise of power, the weight of coercion, the nature of authoritarianism and how people can be manipulated and controlled. The plays fall short of the advertised “riotous comedy”, which a different approach might have produced, but they do contain “wit and humour” as promised. They also present a rare opportunity to see these works and be transported into an age when innovative theatre challenged regimes.

Amir Nisi

Richard Beck

A graduate in theology and education, Richard acted and contributed to dance, drama and music productions throughout his teaching career. He joined Broadway Baby in 2014 and is now our Editor-in-Chief. He usually disappears to warmer climes for the winter to pursue his passion for travel.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

DRH Arts and Orsolya Nagy present CHARLIE and STRIPTEASE by Slawomir Mrozek. A double-bill of hilarious political theatre by the award-winning Polish playwright. These two satirical plays from the Soviet era (in English translation) are absurdly relevant in today’s political climate of Trump’s America, the rise of authoritarianism and the impact of mass surveillance.

Wicked
Phantom of the Opera
The Producers
Popular now
4

Mabel

Durham Fringe Festival
Matilda
Les Miserables