REVIEW: DRESSING GOWN by Andrew Cartmel at The Tabard 10 - 27 July 2024

'The dialogue takes us back to the classic era of farcical comedies, and there are moments of utter genius throughout.' ★★★★ ½

Andrew Cartmel's comedy Dressing Gown is a classic farce in every way possible. Its simple premise allows for the characters to grow and play off against each other.

Theatre director Ash (Jamie Hutchins) just wants to get out of his dressing gown and put some clothes on. That's it. But he keeps being interrupted. His producer Dan (Ryan Woodcock) comes round to confronting him about his alleged affair with his girlfriend. Playwright Jenna (Freya Alderson) comes over to vent her frustrations about actors improvising and not reading the lines as she wrote them, and Layla (Rosie Edwards), the play's leading actress and Dan's girlfriend, wants to know why Dan bought her flowers. Ash cannot catch a break!



You can take any of these characters and put them in any play and it will be a success. Theatre-folk are always fun to watch, even though the subplots in Dressing Gown are somewhat familiar. The performances of the four leads are fantastic, with Hutchins, in particular, being a real revelation and commanding the whole thing with ease, highlighting a theatre director's ability to soothe egos and juggle divas. Under Jenny Eastop's direction, the four of them make Cartmel's script come to life beautifully and what a script it is! It hits every beat it needs to, with not a moment wasted. The dialogue, full of misunderstandings and one-liners, takes us back to the classic era of farcical comedies, and there are moments of utter genius throughout - the horses exchange is simply to die for!

Dressing Gown is hilarious and it flows in a way that makes you feel as though time has flown by. That's what a comedy should do, and Dressing Gown totally delivers.

DRESSING GOWN at The Tabard 10 - 27 July 2024

Written by Andrew Cartmel

Directed by Jenny Eastop

Box Office: https://tabard.org.uk/whats-on/dressing-gown/

Cast:

Jamie Hutchins as Ash

Ryan Woodcock as Dan

Rosie Edwards as Layla

Freya Alderson as Jenna

Reviewer Carol Saint Martin is a screenwriter, playwright and pop culture blogger. Her TV pilot has been a finalist in many scriptwriting contests, her play HABITAT premiered in 2024 at the Optik Theatre and her film OPEN HELL will be coming out later this year.