Get a sneak peek into the Essex nightclub DAZZLERS’ ladies’ loos in LAVVIES. Witness the high-drama of a wild night out, have some big laughs, and celebrate friendship. Rating
Excellent!
It’s 1999, and Angela (Lisa York) and Rachel (Alison Bettles) have gone back to their old haunt after years away. The setting for LAVVIES is probably familiar to many, an old favourite nightclub with sticky, smelly carpets and graffiti scribbles on the cubicles of the mostly out-of-order loos, which feels so very different from tonight’s venue, The Space. I get the feeling that DAZZLERS, the club the play is set in, is the kind of place where you overlook all the gross bits because you can’t help but have the best of times there, with drinks and mates and dancing. But in LAVVIES we are treated to the last, best element of a good night out: the drama.
You might guess the place we see on stage by the title – LAVVIES is set in the… lavvies. I feel privileged to watch everything unfold in the DAZZLERS ladies’ loos, and will forever wonder if this sort of drama is going on in the room next door, where I can never go. LAVVIES is a strong piece of writing, with everything from reunions, to fights, to prejudice and loads of laughing. Writer Ruth Carraway shows us the highs and lows of the ladies on stage, with sensitive moments of vulnerability, touching friendships and ruthless, good-natured humour.
It feels a bit like a reunion from Grange Hill in the eighties with LAVVIES writer, director, producer and performer, Carraway (who played Helen Kelly in the school drama series), bringing three of her childhood co-stars together on stage. Their history likely helps the onstage chemistry to feel natural and inviting, and their ease with each other brings more belief to the characters they play.
Some touches of music bring a feel of the late 90s to the performance, but I wondered if there could be more nods to the era in other areas, like with costumes. Most of the time, if it weren’t for the lack of smartphones, it could be set in any modern era. LAVVIES shines as a celebration of joy and friendship. I wouldn’t expect profound performances, but you can safely bet on seeing a cast who care about and trust each other, and bring feeling and fun to the story they are performing. The ups and downs echo real nights out, with all the fun and drama that comes with them. This play will give you a good laugh, and (if you’re anything like me) will leave you nostalgic for wild nights out which now feel few and far between.
Written, directed and produced by Ruth Carraway
LAVVIES plays at The Space until Saturday 6 September 2025
