Alan Bennett meets ‘The League of Gentlemen’ in this recognisable, yet in turns demented, tale of the lives of cul-de-sac curtain-twitchers. Whilst the plot becomes increasingly over-the-top when we discover all is not as it seems in the sac, there are moments of precision and wit in the writing. One neighbour mentions that he can understand why his wife has left him for another living nearby, because they do, after all, “have a tennis court”. The acting is as polished as the neighbour’s best china, with the only cracks being in the aforementioned leap of credulity that the script takes, but not even this is enough to damage such an intelligent parody of suburban life.
Pleasance Courtyard, 5 – 28 Aug (not 15 & 22), 3.15pm (4.15pm), £8.00 – £10.00, fpp252.
tw rating 4/5
[ljc]
Sections: by Laura Cress - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 4/5 | Tags: The Comedians Theatre Company, The Pleasance
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