This silly play will keep you giggling throughout, the perfect tonic to the January bluesRating
Good
On a chilly, rainy evening in January the temptation to stay inside and put on your pyjamas is strong. Luckily, Dressing Gown made the venture into town well worth it. This is a very silly play, a farce packed with gags, confusion, and one impressive fall that it’s a miracle the actor can just leap up from.
The premise is delightfully simple – all Tom Asher wants to do is get dressed. But he keeps getting rudely interrupted by his doorbell as his best friend/producer, playwright and leading lady of the play he is directing keep making uninvited appearances. His ever-increasing exasperation at the repeated interruptions are hilariously reminiscent of the frustrations of Basil Faulty, and Jamie Hutchins plays the part with delightful charm and relish. He’s also very funny, his hair seems to grow out of the top of his head with ever increasing volume as he rubs it throughout in frustration – perhaps an unintentional outcome but one that adds to the general chaos and humour.
The rest of the cast top up Hutchins’ stellar ground work with charisma and hilarity. Ryan Woodcock’s palpable anger at the start bounces off Hutchins, their chemistry kicks off the play with bang, ensuring we instantly know we’re in for a treat. Rosie Edwards plays the role of egotistical leading lady with a tongue firmly in her cheek, and her descent into seduction is sultry yet ridiculous – an impressive combination. Freya Alderson plays the slightly chaotic playwright whose antics caused all the drama in the first place – she’s delightfully believable, although her costume of tie-dyed Hendrix t shirt, pink neon tights and pink hair extensions feels a little over the top in its attempts to portray her quirky personality.
The set is simple: we stay in Ash’s flat throughout as his seemingly endless sequence of guests cause increasing levels of distress and hilarity. Costumes fly off and props play their part in the chaos. The set feels considered and is effective at transporting us from London railway arches to the flat of a man who just wants to get dressed.
This play doesn’t shy away from the farcical genre and it’s all the better for it; Andrew Cartmel’s writing is packed with gags which, combined with Jenny Eastops’ direction, means there’s rarely more than a couple of minutes without a titter from someone in the crowd.
The play starts to waver a little at the end, where it loses momentum with a slightly long section about who has the best dressing gown, but the final moments mean this is soon forgotten when it ends with a perfectly timed blackout.
So, even if your sofa is comfy, and your dressing gown is on, dust off your outside clothes and head to Union Theatre. Nothing beats a giggle in a room of people sharing the same joy – you won’t get that on your sofa.
Written by Andrew Cartmel
Directed by Jenny Eastop
Produced by Thursday Theatre
Dressing Gown is at Union Theatre until Friday 23 January.
