Ambitious panto drama lack focus
Aging pantomime performer Ronal Roy Humphrey returns to his dressing room, still dressed in bright dress and impressive wig. He’s as loud and as flamboyant as you would expect from a panto star. But there’s more beneath the surface for Roy. Faced with aging and the inevitable changes facing his beloved artform, he’s a man hiding tremendous emotion behind the façade of his bright yellow gown. In a well timed follow-up to the Christmas pantomime season, The Dame opens up a bleaker take on this cheerful Christmas staple.
Writer Katie Duncan starts off with what would already be rich material for exploration. Roy is facing the lack of relevance that has come with both age and the decline of pantomime, alongside the death of the British seaside town that had been the traditional stage for pantomime. Surely, there’s more than enough here for a 70 minute performance. But halfway through, we switch focus. It becomes clear that Roy also has a troubled childhood past. An abusive father and a child shielded by a vulnerable, but ever so loving mother. Perhaps it’s cold to be so dismissive of such clear sentimental bait, but it feels like Duncan has just taken a generic ‘sad childhood’ and added it into the mixing pot, almost as a cheap cheat for emotional depth.
The script also has a strong tendency towards hyperbole and the melodramatic, and to an extent that works. Our titular character is, after all, a pantomime dame looking back on his glory days – a certain flair for the dramatic is to be expected. But Duncan’s writing fails to rein in her words when she takes Roy from stage performer to confused child, with her overly lyrical wording destroying any hope of actual immersion in Roy’s past.
The play is almost saved by Peter Duncan. The former Blue Peter presenter delivers a strong performance as Roy, alternating between exuberant pantomime dame, and troubled man. The performance is almost a showcase of his versatility as he easily transitions from one to the other. However, even he cannot fully salvage this confused piece. Roy as a character lacks the genuine heart needed to really come to life and as a result, we are left with a performance that somehow rings false.
London’s Fringe theatre scene is full of talented writers, and it’s all too frequently that I find myself watching a lacklustre production of a great piece. It’s almost more frustrating that The Dame is the exact opposite. The Park Theatre’s lovely intimate space, simple yet effective set and most of all, Peter Duncan’s strong acting talents are wasted on this confused piece.
-2 stars
