The performance certainly needs to be polished but the humorous nature of the play is enjoyable for all.
This is a production written by Caitlin Sherret in her teenage years that she has adapted in order to take a step into the exciting world of theatre. From a Casanova in love with two women, to the demanding Moira and the broken hearted Beth, this is a romantic comedy that is endearingly over the top in script and performance. The structure of a play within a play immediately sets this up to be an exaggerated production with the strong characters clearly caricatures of relationships we can all identify with. That being said, while the exaggeration of these characters is fun, the portrayals are two dimensional making it hard to sympathise with the characters or find them particularly credible.
The script is a little pedestrian and some of the dialogue appears quite forced in its attempt to create humour. Furthermore, the line delivery is a little delayed at times which ruins the comic timing. This is disappointing but generally the energy behind the lines maintains the pace so the company can quickly move on from the comic blip. The troupe is generally good with their projection but their diction is lacking throughout a lot of the performance meaning key moments are often missed by the audience.
Kym Hunt as ‘The Clerk’ is particularly funny with her dry delivery of sarcastic lines that never fails to get a laugh from the audience. Her hyperbolic movements and facial expressions are liken to that of comic classics such as Catherine Tate as she overrules any character who tries to dominate her or bribe her in order to get to the doctor first. Moreover, James Cumming is successful as the flirty ‘Charlie’ who tries to charm every woman he comes across. His infectious grin and clear portrayal of the confident, if dim, Casanova is comical throughout.
The performance certainly needs to be polished but the humorous nature of the play is enjoyable for all.
