REVIEW: Julie Balloo’s THE PAPER DOLL HOUSE at The Old Red Lion Playhouse until 14 February

‘A story of fame and ambition that explores the thin line between stardom, notoriety and obscurity.’ ★★★★

THE PAPER DOLL HOUSE is an ode to old Hollywood – the stars and the camp. Like many such tales, it is a story of fame and ambition that explores the thin line between stardom, notoriety, and obscurity. 

Julie Balloo’s play takes place in 1956 Los Angeles and introduces Betty and Eddie, a young couple looking to make their way in Hollywood. Despite Betty’s acting aspirations and Eddie’s on-set experience, the couple faces the economic realities of dreaming in Hollywood; bills are paid by way of Betty’s door-to-door makeup sales and Edie’s grifting. By contrast, Charlotte Shelby and her daughter Mary Miles Minter have been through fame and back. They are washed up actresses from the shores of Broadway and the silent pictures, respectively. 

Hollywood has not been kind to either couple. Once adored for her beauty and youth, Mary’s celebrity was unceremoniously cut short following the mysterious death of a famous director with whom she was having a romantic affair. Though the murder was never solved, the court of public opinion decided Mary or her mother Charlotte must have pulled the fatal trigger. Following their exile from the industry, the two have spent the last several decades aging in isolation surrounded by mementos of their former lives. Mother and daughter are literally and figuratively stuck in the past, still fighting over who bought the mansion in which they are slowly wasting away. To the audience, their lives are a testament to the fleeting and fickle nature of fame and the power of public perception. To Eddie, they are perfect marks and he sets out to con the women into a recorded confession.

Balloo and co-writer Donna Kings’ script is full of cultural references, bordering on self-referential. Before SUNSET BOULEVARD is ever mentioned aloud, it’s clear that Jan Goodman’s Charlotte is her own sharp-tongued Norma Desmond. The script plays with form and genre. A cheeky reference to Ronald Reagan nods at satire within realism. A clever framing device draws on film noir tropes of the 1950s to immediately establish a distinct setting and ambiance. Characters are hybrids of nuance and cliché, which serves the play’s short run time. Even if we have not met these exact characters, we understand their literal and figurative roles and can slip easily into their world. 

The show’s success is a result of fantastic performances from all four actors. Chloe Teresa Wilson’s Betty is a wide-eyed and endearing beauty salesman with a dream. Carol Been’s Mary is a tragic representation of the generations of child stars eventually shunned from public view as soon as their value - youth and beauty - diminishes. Tom Inman as Eddie accomplishes no small feat by successfully imbuing the play’s antagonist with undeniable charm. Were these performances any less strong, Jan Goodman’s Charlotte would be an even greater standout. As it is, her incredible performance, full of comedy and pathos, is nearly matched by the fellow talent onstage. 

As TVs proliferate across American living rooms, each character in Balloo’s play must reconcile their role in the growing attention economy. Betty and Eddie are desperate for a way in, Charlotte is desperate for a way back, and Mary is desperate to drink away the knowledge that none of them have any control. Despite its use of tropes, THE PAPER DOLL HOUSE succeeds in offering an original look at the underside of the American Dream just beneath the glitz and glamour of showbiz. The script is strongest when it is commenting on the nature of fame and the lengths we go to secure it and weakest when obliquely referencing gender-based relationship dynamics and violence. 

Much like a paper doll house, fame is not as solid as we might like or want to believe. 

THE PAPER DOLL HOUSE

Written by Julie Balloo

Additional Material from Donna King

Directed by Tug J Wilson

The Old Red Lion Pub & Playhouse

Presented by The Lollywood Players

Performance Dates: 11th – 14th February 2026
Performance Time: 8pm (3pm Saturday 14th)
Run Time: 75 mins
Tickets: £18 / £15
Get 15% Off on Group Bookings of 6 or more with Discount Code DOLLS

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https://weareoldred.co.uk/whats-on/freshfest-2026/the-paper-doll-house/

Reviewer Jessica Steans-Gail is a New York City transplant currently pursuing an MA in Writing For Performance & Dramaturgy from Goldsmiths University. She is a life-long writer and performer and recently performed her solo showThe Fundamentals of Acting across NYC. Jessica has managed multiple prominent comedy venues and worked in marketing & press for Broadway shows that include Hamilton, Mamma Mia! and more.