 | | 'Happy families' in the Dukes Head |
SCENE 1: A DESERTED BEACH IN SUMMER. ENTER BLOND HUNK WITH SURFBOARD "Strewth! This new comedy from the Royal is a real beaut. Theatre can sometimes be bloody hard yakka and makes me want to go walkabout looking for the amber fluid but any drongo can see this show is fair dinkum. The creative blokes have made a good fist out of putting Aussie soaps on stage. So mate, don't be a bludger - get off your butt and cadge yourself a ticket for you and your cobber. Do it during your smoko this arvo, before the bush telegraph gets going. The show's a real corker." SCENE 2: DINGY LONDON PUB. ENTER MIDDLE-AGED GEEZER WITH A PINT. "Cor blimey, guvnor! Can you Adam and bleedin' Eve it? You don't have to be a bit of a knob to enjoy Soap. So, me old china, spend a few bob and take a butchers. You should see what they've done to the EastEnd geezers!" Soaps collide | | Lucy Speed and Paul Fox |
Enter the world of television soaps. What happens when Aussie soap Crystal Bay collides with the East End world of Arthur Street? Sarah Wood's comedy does it magnificently. A parody of TV soaps is an easy target and there's a danger that this play is worth no more than a 10 minute sketch. But the laughs continue throughout the two hours and a few darker thoughts seep into the convoluted plots. The director, Laurie Sansom, lets the action bubble along. Much of the humour comes from recognising the looks, poses and plotlines of the genuine soaps. The cast flit from Aussie to East End accents. There's a Dot Cotton here and an Angie Watts there. Throw in a bit of Dirty Den or Harold Bishop. The cast includes a few real life soap stars: Lucy Speed (Natalie in EastEnders), Paul Fox (Mark Baldwin in Coronation Street), Mark Bannerman (Gianni di Marco in EastEnders) and Jackie McKenzie (Gloria Weaker in Emmerdale). There's plenty to enjoy even if you don't watch the soaps. What better excuse to turn off the telly and head out to the theatre? | 
