This show will have you in stitches but may leave you with a concussion. Rating
Good
Sets can be deceiving. This one, with two cloud-covered stage flats, ushers us into a dreamy indigo state. Then, in burst our two ceremonial crones (Abigail Dooley and Emma Joy Edwards) dressed like Wombles on acid. Colourful frills tremble as the crones make a meagre offering to God Kronos who will only be sated by the ‘flesh of the old and sagging’.
An everywoman inclusively named ‘The Protagonist’, and played by both actors, is chosen to for a quest to defeat ageing and persevere through the perils of a post-menopausal wilderness name ‘The Third Age’. Our protagonist boards her (Un)EasyJet flight to victory armed with her trusty tongue (pencil) sharpener and invisibility cloak (an M&S beige cardigan).
And yet there is nothing beige about this show. Every colour is used in Jess Eaton’s sublime costume design, from ultraviolet superhero garb to a jet-black crinoline so long that it envelops an entire stage flat, behind which Dooley is elevated, to allow its effortless unfurling. Also effortless are the many costume changes our dynamic duo move through, from four-legged soothsayers to plastic surgeon ringmasters.
Though each quirky pairing works well, the overall concept is limited by having two cast members. Having The Protagonist present in some pivotal scenes but not others, and then played by both performers, feels more of a logistical than an artistic choice.
‘You’ve probably got some questions’ surmises one crone, stood head to toe in ASDA Bags for Life. After Dolly Parton puppetry, M&S cardigans and full-frontal nudity, who wouldn’t have questions? And it is hard to invest in an absent protagonist whilst swaying from vaudeville to film to puppetry to crowd work to TED talk. A rousing sung chorus of The F**k It List (a play on the well-known ‘Bucket List’) seems to indicate the show’s ‘F**k it’ attitude to selecting theatrical form, and this Game of Crones is at times too bewildering to play along with.
This feels frustrating as both Dooley and Edwards are just the sort women one would want to volley with. Their charisma and sheer conviction can’t help but win us over, and they are particularly strong at audience improv, with a crowd surfing sequence that sees The Protagonist in doll form being passed across the auditorium, with several theatre goers manipulating her into unspeakably flexible positions. Unorthodox crowd work such as this could simplify the show’s many transitions, and replace awkward filmed segments with the live improv that A&E Comedy do best.
With one final costume flourish, Edwards dons a shimmering disco cape as the reinvigorated Kronos, freeing Dooley’s Protagonist to see her newfound worth in The Third Age. Game of Crones nears a home run, but lacks the punch to win gold. A&E Comedy can be found playing away on a UK tour until mid-April, so if you want to ‘rage against the beige’, add this show to your ‘F**k it List’.
Written by Abigail Dooley & Emma Joy Edwards
Dramaturgy by Bryony Kimmings
Directed by Jonathan Oldfield
Costume Design by Jess Eaton
Film & Video Content by Raphael Lambrakis-Haddad
Sound Design by Tom Penn
Set Design by Joe Fleming
Choreography by Patricia Langa
Photography by Paul Winter
Produced by Darren Walter and A&E Comedy
Game of Crones is touring until Friday 10 April.
