Charley’s Aunt evaluate – a contemporary and enjoyable glow-up for Victorian farce | Theatre

The frump turns fabulous on this new model of a redoubtable Victorian farce. Renovated with affectionate cheek by Rob Madge, it’s a scrappy however very enjoyable tackle the story of dowager dress-up and scheming lovebirds.

Jack (Benjamin Westerby) and Charley (sweetly bird-brained Jonathan Case) need alone time with their beloveds Kitty and Amy (Yasemin Özdemir and Mae Munuo). Even in the event that they evade the women’ forbidding guardian, decorum calls for a chaperone. Charley’s wealthy aunt doesn’t present, so am-dram fan Babbs is persuaded to impersonate her. Do shenanigans ensue? They actually do.

Brandon Thomas, a Liverpudlian clerk turned actor, wrote the unique 1892 smash. In Madge’s model, the ladies are not bit gamers in posh-boy stratagems, however each bit as sensible and racy as their swains (Kitty, the minx, even waxes her ankles). Crucially, Babbs transforms from silly-ass scholar to sharp butler: a Jeeves saving the day by climbing right into a crinoline.

On a textual degree, Madge typically doesn’t a lot adapt as heckle the unique, cheerfully scattering quips, filth and folks getting the ick. Some of essentially the most deeply dippy traces are in reality Thomas’s – rhapsodies about Oxford’s historical spires, random gives of mayonnaise and the celebrated non sequitur about “Charley’s aunt from Brazil – where the nuts come from”. Others are most positively Madge: “When that royal butler said he’d introduce me to his Prince Albert, that was not what I was expecting.”

The candy-striped doorways and pink icing balustrade on Alex Berry’s set are as toothsome as her costumes: jaunty shorts, florals, lemon meringue frills and plenty of bows. Zippily carried out, Sophie Drake’s brisk manufacturing is kissing cousin to the National Theatre’s present The Importance of Being Earnest – Victorian courtship comedy will get a vibrant glow-up, queer tweak and poppy soundtrack. The exhibits even share a gag a few self-playing piano.

For Gill’s tender Babbs, a day as auntie is a liberation. Settling right into a layer cake of ruffle or daring sequinned trousers, they’ll let their freak flag fly: flirting or gossiping about partying with Gilbert and Sullivan (“the 80s were wild”). “I’m simply enjoying being whatever I am,” they declare.