The Sparks Are Flying
At The
Customs House.
The Devil Wears Primark
South Shields: The Customs House
Wednesday 22nd April - Thursday 23rd April 2015.
It’s
a simple fact of life. One cannot choose their family. We also fall in love with people whose family
may not get on with us. Throw in some international tension and we have the
makings of the latest offering from writer, director, producer and star
Kathleen Ruddy, The Devil Wears Primark.
Kathleen
plays the Greek Cypriot matriarch Aunt Athy who is the sex therapist on the
radio. Her advice is not PC and follows the mantra that a man is there to be
pleased and his lady is there to look after his needs. This brings on the wrath
of the feminists. Her long suffering husband Nikos, played by Mark McDonnell,
enjoys a spot of cross dressing whilst watching the birds in the garden.
The
story centres around Athy’s trip to meet The Queen to receive an honour. This
results in a return home for her children. First to arrive was Maria (Dawn
Chandler) who works as an assistant to a headteacher. She wears and talks to
her 2 sock puppets in order to make sense of her world. Her Mum winds her up
about her appetite for cake and she is the butt of a number of jokes.
Her
son Aris appears with her new girlfriend, the recently widowed Mina. John
Ritchie’s character struggles against the domineering mother who doesn’t
approve of her son’s slightly older Turkish circus performer girlfriend. It seems that the effect of the 1974 invasion
of Cyprus by the Turks is still a
sore point. Penni Tovey gets opportunity
to show off her circus tricks, as the headstrong Mina, with spectacular effect. The interaction between these two strong
female characters is never that pleasant as mother makes her feelings clear.
Many
of the jokes at the start are related to Aunt Athy’s role as a sex therapist
and hence the show is neither family viewing nor very politically correct. Kathleen Ruddy’s delightful script shows the
complexities of the family set up and the resultant dread of introducing your
other half to potentially disapproving mothers. Chuck in circus tricks with
fire and with an angle grinder and the end result is a different, entertaining
evening.
This
review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com).
Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo
on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo
Read the original Jowheretogo Preview here
Read the original Jowheretogo Preview here
Tickets
Rubber Ear Productions presents The Devil Wears Primark by Kathleen Ruddy comes to The Customs House in South Shields Wednesday 22nd April - Thursday 23rd April 2015.
Price: £15 / £14 Conc.
Box Office: 0191 454 1234
Website: www.customshouse.co.uk
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