After a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Private View from Plunge Theatre has embarked on a national tour, stopping off at a half-filled Sale Waterside Theatre. Private View is a production aiming to highlight how women treat each other in society. However, for me it felt like 45 minutes of my life I will never get back again.
The problems start right at the beginning of the show. Most production start with a bang. However, Private View starts off limp and weak by having all three actors frozen on stage for what feels like an eternity, and slowly coming to life.
Suddenly the three of them break into dance to Bootylicious by Destiny’s Child. The out of sync dance routine is ok to watch for the first time, but seeing it for the fourth time in a 45 minute period I was wanting to pull out any remaining hair on my head.
The trio slap cake in their faces; seemingly making reference to women that plaster themselves in so much makeup it looks ridiculous. This should be funnier than it was, however I didn’t think any of the actors were particularly strong enough to carry the comedy through. It is quite unfortunate that these actors live up to stereotype they are trying to break; “women just aren’t funny.”
When the play moves towards the taboos of women’s bodily functions, it actually becomes better. The vivid descriptions given by actors show that women go through a lot of things that they never take about.
This is definitely not a piece of theatre that will set the world on fire. However, I imagine it may well strike a chord with females. However, as a male I struggled to relate to it and was left disappointed.
Reviewer: Kevin O’Brien
Reviewed: 17th March 2016
