REVIEW: HOLIDAY at DRAYTON ARMS THEATRE 4 – 8 February 2025

‘Mum's the word, yeah?’ ★★★

Five mothers, a battalion of children, buckets of gin and secrets galore—what could possibly go wrong?

Holiday bills itself as a ‘comedy-drama’, but what but what its set-up really screams is farce: the audience enters to find three doorways and a few red curtains cleverly defining the space, and the show kicks off with characters criss-crossing in classic just-missing-each-other fashion. The design is deftly done, the potential for fun is clear. Unfortunately, it never quite reaches the pay off its excellent cast deserves.

Holiday's premise pulls the tried-and-tested trick of finding a pretext for bringing very different people into the same place, forcing them to spend time together and then watching the sparks fly. Shirley (Alison Young) has corralled her fellow mum friends into a summer getaway, a week in the countryside at the kind of place that cheerily asks its guests to pitch in with the kitchen chores. The catch? She's actually conducting undercover reconnaissance for an upcoming job interview, desperate for some financial independence in her failing marriage. The other mums, too, are struggling: Maureen (Valerie Paul) is hiding a secret past; Roz (Jennifer Aries) is a walking, talking bundle of mother hen anxiety; Fi (Amanda Chennell) may be pregnant with a less-than-wished-for child; and Rachel (Paulette P Williams) is adjusting from freewheeling singledom to parenting a past partner's orphaned daughter named Cali (played by Sohaila Ferrier). Charlie Buckland does triple duty as all the men in the place, from Sexy Trainer Keith to Slightly Racist Barman.

The writing is peppered with zingers, and the cast gleefully mines the comedy for all its worth. The actors pull off everything from passive aggressive, middle class cattiness to bone-dry digs with ease, and are rewarded with the audience's frequent laughter. Where Holiday falls flat, however, is in its balance and build-up. The ‘drama’ side of this comedy-drama includes heavy themes—everything from self-harm and racism to death and statutory rape. Sometimes, the light touch is just right; too often, it feels like playwright Roli Okorodudu has scratched the surface of something interesting, considered digging deeper, but then shied away into the next sex joke instead. Since Holiday never goes for full, biting satire—its characters are all allowed earnest, heartfelt moments—the casualness of this treatment more often jars than pleasingly shocks. Nor is this helped by the episodic nature of the staging, which saps the play of energy anytime a scene transition comes up, rather than zipping things along. It's harder to lean into the excellently acted absurdity of the show's climax when the brakes get pulled every five minutes for a silent resetting of the stage.

There's plenty here, from laugh-out-loud material to outstanding ensemble work. For now, Holiday hasn't quite figured out how to make it all gel.

Photography credit: @phyllidahickish

BOX OFFICE https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/holiday 

Cast

Rachel: Paulette P Williams

Shirley: Alison Young

Roz: Jennifer Aries

Fi: Amanda Chennell

Maureen: Valerie Paul

Cali: Sohaila Ferrier

Keith, Barman, Mickey: Charlie Buckland

Creative Team

Written by: Roli Okorodudu

Directed by: Tania Black

Set & Costume Designer: Phyllida Hickish

Lighting Designer: Eoghan Steenman -Clark

Sound Designer: Richard Hayes-Thompson

Movement & Intimacy Director: Mandy Gordon