Seven Studies in Salesmanship

Presented as part of the £5fringe, Seven Studies in Salesmanship comprised seven comic vignette’s exploring various aspects of the dubious business of convincing others to buy ‘product’. The sparse set and simple lighting were brought to life by bright, hilarious characterisations; the acting was superb all-round. My favourite sketch was ‘Spaced Out’, a perfect example of the utterly exasperating wind-up that a shopping experience can be, when you just want to give your money, but the seller leads you down a never-ending path of offers, deals and decisions. My most enjoyable belly laugh was elicited by Dave Mountfield giving the ‘hard sell’ as a Yank salesman who launched into an outrageous and exhilarating rant. The audience loved the performance throughout. I noticed the men in the audience seemed to find ‘Damage Limitation: About You’ particularly funny; Jenny Rowe was most amusing as the wounded ‘(girl) friend’ of a rogue playwright who was trying to flog her the idea that his latest play did not contain all the intimate details of their relationship.

This was a fun examination of the dark arts of sales-personship although it touched on some painful truths, illustrated by references to exploitation of world-suffering for individual gain and the developing problem of the market worming its way into personal lives and infringing privacy conventions. Seven Studies has proven to be another triumph for Brighton writing duo Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon.

The Lord Nelson is a lovely, homely venue; everything about the front of house was good natured and hospitable. A great evening. Sold!

The Lord Nelson, 19 May 2013
Rating:
Fleur Shorthouse