Writer: Izzy Searle
Director: Amelia Lloyd
Barb is on a mission. Determined to make sure that every woman in her Welsh hometown has a bra that ensures “nothing slips out and nothing digs in”. Barb’s mum ran the bra shop before her, and she has no doubt that her daughter Eloise will take it on after she retires. Both Barb and Eloise have other plans though – and while they’re very different they’re essentially about escaping small town life and following a bigger dream.
Baggy Bra is a light-hearted comedy with plenty of laughs while taking seriously the ups and downs of close-knit family and community. For a play that comes in under an hour it raises, and to some extent tackles, a lot of issues – from the precariousness of small businesses to finding love in later life, from educational aspiration to breast cancer. It has a gentle pace, the dialogue very much reflecting the easy chat you get in women-only spaces, with Barb (Siân Parry-Williams) and Eloise (Devan Woodward) rubbing along together in a particularly convincing mother/daughter way. Both Parry-Williams and Woodward deliver compelling performances. Barb’s dreams look unlikely to be fulfilled, maybe because she thinks she doesn’t deserve them to be. Eloise represents a new generation of women who have a better sense of what they’re capable of. Close proximity and love doesn’t necessarily mean they understand each other.
Ray William Butler (as Barbs boyfriend Ted) and Harriet Eaton (who plays all the other female roles) have much less to work with. The supporting characters are pretty one dimensional, and bring very little to the story. A mother/daughter two hander might have made for a richer and more intimate play, leaving ‘Tool Shop Ted’ and Eloise’s friend Tegan to the audience’s imagination. As it is, these characters, and their much less punchy dialogue, are something of a distraction from the story.
For a small theatre, The Squad House has quite a big raised stage. However, while using the stage, a space in front of it, and even – in an awkward and rather pointless scene where Ted shows off his home-made T-shirts – the aisle through the audience, Director Amelia Lloyd fails to use the space to its full potential. There are also some sight-line challenges in the flat auditorium, and more attention needs to be directed towards making sure the audience can see what’s going on. There’s little set to speak of, but the ratty changing room curtain and washing line of drab bras certainly suggests why Barb’s Bras isn’t turning much of a profit.
The Squad House is a rather lovely small theatre, unexpectedly hidden within the colossal Pear Mill on the edge of Stockport town centre. There’s a cosy bar which leads into the space, which, for this show, is decked out with cabaret tables and lots of glittery stuff, creating a fun party atmosphere. There’s lots of effort gone into this Greater Manchester Fringe Festival production, but it feels as though some of the potential of this promising play is unfortunately wasted.
Runs until 29 July 2023
