Review: Threesome
Theatre Box: Warren
Brighton Fringe
This new play examines the effects of changing the rules of engagement in a settled marriage played to a sold out house at the neat little Theatre Box over the weekend.
Chris Willoughby’s delightful and subtle performance as confused and bemused husband caught squarely in the middle of these shenanigans was both a surprise and one of my comic highlights so far of the fringe. The intimacy of the Theatre Box and the superb lighting also allowed the audience to see each frown and eye roll and allowed him to engage fully. Gemma Rook playing his wife with issues a plenty worked well and they came across as an engaging and slightly repressed couple but one that were believable. Chemistry is essential in a small tightly written play like this, that relies almost totally on the sharp staccato dialogue and this pair had it in abundance. April Pearson as the much younger lady chosen to add a little spice to their relationship who turns out to be more fiery than expected was a sultry, confident sexually experienced and sensually sly concoction, again convincingly seductive and remarkably playful too.
Whether as a response to some seriously good direction or just as they have a natural affinity for each other the end result was an intensely believable hour in the company of this trio of good actors. They managed to be a newbie swinger believable couple, a tarty torrid ‘trick’ for the night and then project the full fall out that too much drugs booze and miss-thought out ménage a trios can have on a couple.
The Theatre box was stuffed to the gills with an audience which roared with laughter, it’s rare to see audience this engaged from the off, the show was sold out and there’s no better accolade to a new play than to sell out and send the punters home happy! This was a great play, short, sharp and with a real undertow that belied its frothy indulgent and unoriginal premise although the ending felt a little rushed and oddly ‘convenient’. Small criticisms of an otherwise impressive piece of tight, well balanced writing and some seriously sparking dialogue.
Well done all round, the show is back for the Comedy Fringe later in the year.
Recommended!
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