Review: Doughnut Drive, Drayton Arms Theatre

The dreaded term “written and directed by” strikes fear that an inability to take help could result in a show that needs additional eyes over it before an audience is let in. Throw in “starring” too and there’s a cold sweat of fear before it even starts!

Doughnut Drive, written and directed by Finella Waddilove, also sees her playing Yaz, the loveable but slightly dim-witted half of a friendship with Bex (Sarah Parkins). Bex is the tolerate one, putting up with Yaz’s constant jabbering as she voices her random thoughts, such as whether mounted police would chase criminals onto a motorway? The contrast between them is clear immediately; Bex smartly dressed in business suit, giving a welcome talk at the car dealership she has inherited from her deceased father, Yaz in jeans and football shirt scoffing a doughnut whilst also talking at a hundred words a minute about her beloved film club.

The irony is that dealership owning Bex is currently disqualified from driving due to speeding. Even though the ban expires tomorrow, she can’t resist a late-night drive to satisfy a McDonalds urge. It’s unfortunate that she then hits someone along a dark country lane, triggering a chain of events that test and fortify their friendship.

All of which leaves two questions; are they going to escape with their lives, and just how does Waddilove juggle those three competing roles? No spoilers here, so let’s examine that second question.

It’s an immediate big tick for writing. As with last year’s Blair Bitch Project, her portrayal of friendships tested due to strange circumstances is an utter delight. She embeds a real sense that her characters have known each other forever. As much as Yaz must annoy the hell out of Bex with her verbal diarrhoea, you do sense it has always been this way and that very little could actually destroy their friendship. There’s also beautiful humour threaded through every scene. When Bex declares “If it’s you asking the questions, always assume I’m preparing myself for something stupendously stupid” she surely sums up the audience’s expectations too: and she never fails to deliver on that expectation. Yet it’s never unnatural, never too forced.

Second then, her performance? Together the pair deliver a carefully crafted duo of believable characters, picking up the comic timing needed with the fast-paced writing and Parkins acting as the perfect foil for Waddilove to bounce off. It’s then in the more refined moments of drama where they shine; Yaz’s response to Bex discussing her struggles with grief and depression are handled with care by both actors, leading to yet another moment of clever comic timing, this time Bex delivering the punchline.

Finally then, does Waddilove manage the holy trinity of writing, directing and performing? It’s a resounding yes, as she somehow drives herself and Parkins around the bare stage smoothly and at a steady pace. Even with the minimum of props, her directing speeds us through the various locations, from car dealership to hillside to hospital. The closing scenes within the hospital prove a masterclass of directing, presenting a comic caper complete with slow mo’s and dramatic lighting as they rush towards the grand finale and reveal.

Doughnut Drive reinforces my view that Waddilove has plenty to offer to the stage, whether that be writing, directing or performing – all three are a joy to witness. But this is more than just a one woman vehicle, with support from lighting and sound – all resulting in an extremely funny, beautifully put together play with enough twists and turns to keep the mystery of it alive until the very end.

Written and directed by Finella Waddilove
Sound design: Cameron Pike
Producer: Rachel Duncan
Assistant producer: George Bird

Doughnut Drive plays at Drayton Arms Theatre until Saturday 29 November