Stripped

A kaleidoscope of absorbing characters are created by one actor in this play, written and performed by Hannah Chalmers and directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair. It is derived from Hannah’s own real-life experiences in a pole-dancing club. A naive young girl applies to work in the club – we first see the manager who is interviewing her and we learn the many aspects of the job – and we sense her vulnerability even before we hear her. Hanna herself, the boss, various other club workers and a client all appear. It is easy to believe in all of these, and Hannah Chalmers moves seamlessly back and forth between them. This is an exquisite display of virtuoso acting.Hannah’s position seems to get stronger, and she is encouraged to use her situation and be less feeling. “You get the whole package – sex, money and power all in one night,” she is advised. But we feel that she is on a tightrope and at risk – and she does fall. Though I felt we could have been given a little more detail about her downfall and the latter part could have had more edge.Yet overall it is an excellent show which I would highly recommend. And I do hope that your enjoyment is not marred as mine was – I was in the front row, and during the final minutes the phone of the guy next to me went off loudly, and he was rummaging in his bag as Hannah bravely continued with her conclusion. Expletive deleted! Switch ‘em off folks – you know it makes sense.