Written by Elspeth Frtih
Review by Eve Nugent
In a geographically ambiguous town in the Deep South – perhaps Texas, Arizona, Wyoming? – Ma is stumped. Her husband has recently died, leaving their bar without a barman. Who will step into his buckaroo boots? Enter Jeremy, her son, played with suavity by Nina Ceretti, sporting a Budweiser t-shirt and mahogany cowboy hat, determined to make his father proud. In tow is his brother John, charismatically brought to life by Bella Burgess, more interested in loitering, dispensing funny stories and downing pints than ever picking up a bar cloth.
Jeremy recruits an air-headed waitress to help out, despite ‘rush hour’ consisting of roughly one customer – usually John. Lauryn Maguire brings effortless humour to the role, completing the delightfully underqualified staff. However, something is not quite right. A poster pinned up in the bar – although perhaps visible only to audience members blessed with 20/20 vision – reveals that ‘Ricky’ is back in town. Despite the brothers’ careful construction of their hyper-macho exteriors, this news is clearly unsettling. Upon Ricky’s arrival, played with delicious deadpan by Ava Godfrey, the easy rhythm of the bar begins to shift.
With its all-female cast, this production gleefully pokes fun at hypermasculine stereotypes, puncturing the swagger of Jeremy and John with a steady stream of camp one-liners. Elspeth Frith’s script is well structured, interweaving simple vignettes with spontaneous lip-sync numbers, whilst allowing for character development and a clear chronological storyline. Ruth Duncan and Maximilian Kinsky’s bar set complements this structure, divided into three distinct sections which give the action a welcome sense of variety.
Most importantly, this show is genuinely funny. Forget the polite exhale through the nostrils: this is the kind of silliness that actually gets you laughing out loud. The greatest strength is the refusal to take itself too seriously, embracing hyperbolic characterisation, creative wordplay and impeccable comedic timing.
Genuinely Funny
Last Orders runs Venue 49, Bedlam Theatre at 12:30
Running time – Sixty minutes
Review by Eve Nugent (contact@corrblimey.uk)
An undergraduate French student at the University of Edinburgh, Eve has a diverse interest in theatre and performance. Her primary devotion is acting, predominantly at Bedlam Theatre with her fellow students, but also with French group ‘Les Escogriffes’ who perform annually at the French Institute of Scotland.
Her creative attention stretches also to classical music, as she enjoys playing the flute, piano and guitar. She thus looks forward to watching whatever the Fringe has to offer, irrespective of genre!
