Review: Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, And Selling Cars To Customers, The Pleasance

After a grey and rainy day, I was in the mood for a laugh, and was excited to see what Brillig Theatre had cooked up with their show, Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, And Selling Cars To Customers. Joining the full audience at The Pleasance, we were in for sixty minutes of silliness.

The show opens with a “red, white and blue welcome” to the world of Terry’s, a car dealership in Ohio. Right away, we’re introduced to the team, with Seamus Levan as Tom, the manager, Florrie Taylor as Sheila, the lead saleswoman, Zénon Malhaire as the French Henri, and Ellen Jackson as wide-eyed Kelly. 

As they work to meet a target of selling 129 cars over a month, with just four days to go and plenty of cars left to shift, we follow the team as they put on the charm and embody their company motto: “always be closing”. With American flags covering the set – and the cast, in the form of chic see-through visors – the scene is set for the exaggerated comedy to come. From mocking American-style TV adverts to poking fun at the stereotype of being overly-proud of the military, it’s a playful satire of American consumerism.

This is a sometimes singing, sometimes dancing show that goes hard on the fun. And it mostly delivers, with plenty of jokes, dance breaks, original music and physical comedy. The writing is thoughtful and funny, and each character feels fully fleshed out. There’s also a sprinkling of tragedy as we get a glimpse into the not so perky personal lives of the team. 

Some plot lines feel a little clunky and are left unresolved, like Shelia’s phone calls to her son or Henri’s looming citizenship test. But with a bit of a polish, I could see these more serious notes balancing the comedy well. Alternatively, the team could abandon the dramatic moments and go all in on the goofiness, really playing into the surrealism.

The cast met and trained at the Lecoq School in Paris, and their grounding in physical theatre is clear. The thread of physicality running throughout the show definitely adds to the absurdity, with plenty of well-earned laughs from the audience. In general, each character has their time to shine, although perhaps Malhaire’s Henri could have a bigger moment, especially compared to Jackson’s musical numbers or Levan’s hilarious balloon work.

While this is a company piece, and everyone gets a balanced share of stage time, Jackson is the standout star. She nails her physicality and characterisation, and is over the top and dramatic in ways that perfectly fit the piece and heighten the laughter. She also has the most musical interludes, and manages to achieve a great balance of humour and actually good singing.

This is the company’s debut show, and it makes for a great first outing. It embodies the silliness and physicality that they’re going for and left me with a smile on my face.

Written and Directed by the Company of Brillig Theatre

Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, And Selling Cars To Customers plays at The Pleasance until Sunday 24 October.