Tom Wright’s dad-son role-reversal comedy seemed like an interesting idea, and I like the work of director Rikki Beadle-Blair, so I gave it a whirl. It didn’t really live up to expectations, I’m afraid.
William’s dad Dave is an alcoholic. He’s lost his job and mum Cath has moved out. William’s got a gap year job at her firm, but his dad wants him to have a hedonistic time and lose his virginity, so he tricks him and takes him to Thailand. William is the sober, conservative one and Dave the wild one. William meets and falls for Matias and moves in with him. Its not long before he’s a wild one too – drink, drugs and promiscuity – losing Matias in the process. Meanwhile, dad’s got himself a serious illness, and a ladyboy, Mae. Mum Cath is in regular phone contact with her son, initially encouraging him, while she’s having her own milder wild time back home.
It’s a bit frenetic and in yer face, performed on a platform with the audience on all sides, a bit like table dancing. It stretches plausibility when Cath finds her way to Thailand, locates Matias and Mae, as well as Dave & William’s flat, for the denouement, which is somewhat contrived. The performances were all rather loud in Rikki Beadle-Blair’s production, which has its moments, but didn’t really satisfy. For a comedy it wasn’t really funny enough. In all fairness, though, coming on the evening after a matinee of Our Lady of Kibeho in Northampton probably didn’t help.
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