Dirty Pretty Money is a play that looks at the relationship people have with power and money in today’s society. The show is made up of a series of theatrical shorts all based around these themes.
For the most part the acting was very sharp, with the only shaky moment coming during a job interview scene that sometimes struck the wrong tone. What sets Dirty Pretty Money apart, however, is the aesthetic. All the actors are dressed in identical tuxedos with white eye masks, which not only gives the play a distinctive feel, but also allows for individual members of the group to be singled out, an element that is used very effectively. The cast’s brilliant use of their props - a set of white boxes arranged in different ways to create each scene - maintains the continuity and flow that are central to the show.
One of the most interesting aspects of the production is the excellent use of physical theatre that provides some of the performance’s highlights; when one of the characters in a scene was effectively made into a puppet by the rest of the cast, creating a Goliath out of the actor, a sinister atmosphere was established. However, at times the message that power and money corrupt absolutely felt over-laboured and the show became more of a parody than a reflection of real life.
Dirty Pretty Money sets out to highlight the inequalities of everyday life and the indifference certain people display towards the plight of others; in that respect it is successful. However, it fails to highlight anything that the audience doesn’t already know or suspect, particularly given the economic climate today.
