"Butlins Birthday Bash Badly Backfires"
by Philip Herbert for remotegoat on 22/07/14

The Tower Theatre - (an amateur company ) present this all- woman - all action comic drama about a birthday party that all goes wrong .
The table in the restaurant is double booked so best make do - they are bringing a table to the chalet !
Best make do and make the best of it is a theme which runs through the whole play and the characters lives too . Make do and mend , cover and conceal .
Some home truths spill out and the final scene explodes with venom as family secrets and resentments from the past couple of decades bubble up and erupt - exploding without warning .

There are some very funny lines - He was on it like a tramp on hot chips -
Men are all sheds and porn -
It was like valentines day every day until he had his Altzeimers -
He can do a flat pack and hold a conversation at the same time - were just a few of the gems I managed to note down .

As an audience we were never really allowed to settle into the laughter - some first night nerves - rushed lines or garbled words didn't help . Comedy needs to be delivered clean and crisply and sadly this was not the case tonight . The direction was certainly pacey and full of energy - but we did sometimes miss some subtle plot lines and changes of mood .

It was good to see this all female cast giving it their all - and on the whole the story was told and the bitterness began to unfold . I am sure by the second or third performances these slight rushed moments would have settled and we as the audience would be allowed to relax and enjoy it more .

I have to remind myself that all the actors, directors , scene shifters and the like do so purely for the love of it - and should be commended for it . The Tower Theatre Company is one of the busiest in the UK - so I feel sure the cast and crew will settle down for a worthy and enjoyable run - till Saturday .

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