The Dishwashers at the Churchill Theatre Review
The Dishwashers
Churchill Theatre, Bromley
10-15 March 2014
Reviewed by Emma Rogers
This play is deep. Probably too deep for me on a Monday night.
The Dishwashers tells the story if a man down on his luck who takes a job washing dishes in a restaurant in an unnamed town, played by Rik Makarem (Emmerdale) opposite Dressler (David Essex), the veteran of dishwashing and an employee of nearly 30 years. They are accompanied by Moss, another dishwasher who’s been there longer than anyone can remember.
The play is based on George Orwell’s Communist-themed Animal Farm, and explores the socialist politics of the class system. Although the story is original, it’s wry heavy going in the first act. By the second act it picks up, so it’s worth paying attention after the interval.
I can’t make up my mind as to whether David Essex plays a boring character brilliantly, or if it’s his acting against what would otherwise be a fascinating character, but what was most disturbing was the parallels I drew between Essex’s character and people in my own life. If this is the case, then maybe it is the former?
I came out of the play feeling more than a little depressed by the story and the subject matter. It wasn’t my cup of tea but that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed. The cast received a standing ovation from some members of the audience, I would have liked at least a sample of the David Essex charmed singing at some point.
An acquired taste but not dreadful.
Rating: 2.5/5
Tickets cost from £11.90 to £35.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
For more information or to book tickets click here.
