Written by Jenna Stones
Songs by Lucia Ireland
Review by Aislinn McSharry
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Bawdy, bold and imbued with deeper social commentary, DollsnRags Debut Fringe Show Happy Ending Street, is an impressive display of new Scottish theatre, expertly and engagingly performed.
Detailing the lives of three sex-workers in 1890s Edinburgh, Pearl (Lucia Ireland), Bonnie (Jenna Stones) and Frances (Braegha Sturrock) plan to run away together and start a new life, when the ‘Hen Catcher’ is killing the inhabitants of ‘Happy Ending Street’. DollsnRags’ play seems to take three Shakespearean-esque stock characters and insert them into a play of their own; once ribald and crude sex workers, they are here fleshed out into three-dimensional women, with traces of Steinbeckian themes of working-class hope. Throughout the course of the play, the audience joins the characters on their decision-making: should they leave ‘Happy Ending Street’, or kill the ‘Hen Catcher’ before he kills them?
The chemistry between the three makes for a light, appealing, and humorous watch: Sturrock’s Frances fulfils a maternal, sensible, and god-fearing stereotype, Stones’ Bonnie is rebellious, lustful and ambitious, while Ireland’s Pearl is feisty, ditzy, and surprisingly vulnerable. Fulfilling character stereotypes (respectively as sensible, aspirational, and naïve), their performances flourish throughout and allow for an extended exploration of working-class women, normally forgotten in history (although little was given to clarify or utilise this time period).
The actors skilfully swerve in and out of the audience, using all venue space (the bar, staircase, and aisle in the middle of the audience), to really welcome and immerse us into the actuality of the women’s living space. A particular standout performance belongs to Lucia Ireland: after beginning the show with a powerful, soulful song, she embodies every aspect of the play’s lewd humour, accurately over-the-top at just the right moments, all whilst subtly building to an emotional denouement. Nonetheless, the script could have gone even further, more profoundly and uniquely characterising each woman, and more obviously breaking away from stereotypes.
Amidst the ongoing boisterous arguments between the women, sections of the play border on brash; perhaps earlier inclusions of more varied or calmer emotions, could have sustained the play’s pace. Equally, this might have created a greater escalation to the serious arguments, differentiating childish squabbles from serious concerns for Pearl’s health.
Happy Ending Street gives a humorous yet heartfelt voice to three captivating female characters, complex beyond usual creations of their ilk, but whose complexity could have been further explored. Compelling, hilarious and enthusiastic, Ireland and Stones make a very successful start to their recently founded DollsnRags, that bubbles with potential.
Bubbles with Potential
Happy Ending Street ran at Leith Arches
Running time: Sixty minutes without interval
Review by Aislinn McSharry (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Aislinn McSharry has just completed her second year studying German and English Literature at The University of Edinburgh. Whilst she has loved participating in Theatre at the University, her most recent role has been as Theatre Editor for The Student Newspaper. Her theatrical taste spans from old-school gritty musicals (Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof) to exciting dramas (anything Oscar Wilde, but specifically Lady Windermere’s Fan), and she can’t wait to see what this year’s Fringe has in store!
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