Benny Hill’s

It’s camp and funny, it rings so true to a seasoned gay traveller and it takes a turn that makes a significant point about those men who come out late in life. Daryl Bennett’s play may be short and packed with one liners but at its heart is the truth that there are a great many gay men out there who only come out when their live’s have already trodden a very different path. Against the background of a floundering Spanish drag bar Alan is struggling to survive, there are too few customers and those he has are hilariously out of place or so drunk that they sleep in their seats until the chance of karaoke rouses them – then in walks a person from his past with life changing news. In the lead role playwright Bennett gives a convincingly camp yet fragile portrayal of the bar owner Alan, Paul Breen nails the role of barman Sean with speeches literally littered with polari, but the best comedy lines are gifted to Babs and Sandy, middle aged hen partiers played with class, or the lack of it, and great make-up too by Frances Iles and Karrie Breen. A great story with potential to be taken much further as the outcome of the night develops.

22 May

Upstairs at Bar Broadway

Andrew Kay

Rating: