one4review | On 14, Aug 2022

The action, based on an original script from playwright Alex J Yates, takes place backstage on the night of an annual London pantomime. When we first see Mrs Lamen, the ageing dame is gazing into her dressing room mirror, before she turns to face the audience and introduces herself, describing how she was brought up by an abusive father and adoring mother, turning to a life in theatre to escape reality. A young stage hand then enters and sheepishly offers his assistance to Mrs Lamen, someone he had been to see as a young boy and, inspired by Lamen’s performance, decided to take up a career in the theatre himself. A lost soul makes a couple of brief appearances, which seems to be upsetting to Lamen, then the director appears and takes over, worried that the show won’t go on. All of this time, we are watching the disintegration of an ageing dame, becoming increasingly intoxicated on sherry, but convinced that she can still remember her lines and put in a great performance. Darren Machin gives a fantastic performance in the title role as the pantomime dame undergoing transfiguration, although, in this case, it’s more of a struggle for relevance and a refusal to accept that she’s approaching the denouement of life. Overall, an enjoyable hour of theatre, particularly for fans of Harold Pinter, but I just felt there was nothing terribly new in the well-trodden themes being explored.

Reviewed by Howard

Gilded Balloon Teviot, The Wine Bar

11.15 (1hr)

Until 29th August