Review: TICKLE by Chris Burgess at the Drayton Arms Theatre 20 September – 1 October 2022

‘Quirky, camp, funny and fabulous’ ★★★★

Interested in tickling? For money? Lots of money? All for a bit of fun? Just fun. No, nothing sexual…there’s nothing sexual about tickling…or at least that’s what they say…

Young lads, Chris and Callum, are bored with what we are introduced to as ‘Crappy Town’, waiting for something to happen in their lives. Then they meet the dazzling, charming and slightly deceiving Davina Diamond. Who offers them, wait for it… money for tickling.  Misled into the world of endurance tickling, Chris and Tommy find themselves in the hands of Tina Tickle’s Tickling Empire. However, not all goes to plan when the boys discover that their newfound jobs are not as innocent as they thought.

The show opens with a wonderfully wacky number ‘Crappy Town’ and continues to become even more delightfully weird and entertaining. Fun choreography and music immediately engage the audience; atmospheric lighting, smoke effects (credit to Richard Lambert) captivate and draw the audience into this musical delight.

Based on documentary, this show illuminates the bizarre world of endurance tickling and the underlying sinister aspects of this competitive world of tickling are acknowledged. But despite the sinister reality of this bizarre sexual world, the show’s topic is so surprising and quirky, that it is plainly entertaining and funny. Given extra time, the story has the potential to extend even further and delve deeper into this dark world.

It’s always fun to watch something so well cast with wonderful chemistry between the characters. Whitney and Walker’s ‘tickle twosome’ duet was amusing to watch, and each actor stood out on stage with their talented voices, dance moves and stage presence. With mesmerizing, and at times, operatic vocals from Lucy Whitney; Callum’s (Tommy Murray) and Chris’ (Keiran Constable) duets also worked well in harmony.

Tina Tickle, played by Derek Walker, was a delight to watch. Chief director of the Tickle Empire, Walker’s playful depiction, teetering around the stage in the highest of heels, reminiscent of a fun, drunk and slightly Machiavellian auntie. From the outset, Walker’s stage presence was enough to host the whole show itself, with a fabulous opening number ‘There’s a world just waiting to be tickled’. Walker’s wonderfully silly role made you want to join in and prance about in some of this tickling business!

A musical comedy at its best, the cleverly crafted witty songs are superb, and might leave you humming as you leave.  Quirky, funny, fabulous, one leaves thinking, in the words of the finale song, ‘What the fuck would Julie Andrews do?’. Catch this show before it ends on 1^st October – you will be tickled with joy (and one or two feathers…!).

TICKLE by Chris Burgess (book, music and lyrics)

The Drayton Arms Theatre

20^th September – 1^st October

Tickets: https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/tickets/tickle

Cast:

Tina Tickle by Derek Walker

Davina Diamond by Lucy Whitney

Chris by Keiran Constable

Callum by Tommy Murray

Directed by Robbie O’Reilly

Musical Director: David Eaton

Musical Arrangements: Andy Collyer

Designer: David Shields

Lighting: Richard Lambert

Producer by LAMBCO productions

Reviewed by Amelia Barnie