Review: The Devil Wears Primark at The Customs House

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

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

Preview: The Devil Wears Primark at Customs House

All mother-in-laws were created equal but some are more equal than others.

The Devil Wears Primark
South Shields: The Customs House
Wednesday 22nd April - Thursday 23rd April 2015.

'Scotland's sharpest-mouthed comedy treasure - she plays it like she's devoured a young Una Mclean'.

Did you hear the one about the mother-in-law that worked as a radio show therapist and was awarded an MBE for services to the entertainment industry?

Centred around a dementedly unbalanced London Greek-Cypriot family coming together to ‘celebrate’ the imminent award of an MBE for their controlling matriarch whose questionable radio sex therapy advice extends to members of her own family – whether they want it or not.

However things are not quite they seem for Athenoulla Georgiou; her husband was a closet cross-dresser with post-war traumatic stress disorder, her daughter can barely communicate and her vengeful prodigal son flaunts a Turkish travelling circus performer (played by Starlight Express star Penni Tovey) in front of her in an effort to try and push the entire dysfunctional mess right over the edge.

Well known as a playwright, writer, director and actress; Kathleen Ruddy returns with a subject all women will recognise: The mother-in-law.

From THE INNOCENT ‘It’s a bit under-cooked for us dear. Did you forget to turn your oven on?’

To THE DEVILISH ‘You’re too old for him, dear. You must have been round the block a few times.

To THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY ‘You must have been hit on more times than a piñata’

The Devil Wears Primark is a comedy with popular appeal.
However, below that shiny veneer of Ruddy’s impeccably timed humour, the performance touches on the more cerebral matters of family dysfunction, oedipal complexes and everyday bigotry.

A guaranteed great night out for daughter-in-laws everywhere!

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