Writer/Director: David Lescot
Translated by: Christopher Campbell
Money makes the world go round and humans are forever struggling to keep up with it, is a central message behind this play by French Moliere award winning writer and director David Lescot. With just three actors and little or nothing in the way of set, the play follows Lescot’s stage alter ego Me, played by Zach Lusk, from birth to retirement.
Money, the desire to acquire it, the ability to spend it, and the difficulty of keeping it, dictate the pattern of his life from counting the amount of money the tooth fairy is leaving him, through three relationships that are defined or disrupted by wealth and the lack of it, leading eventually to mid table obscurity financially, where he is never going to top the league but equally doesn’t have to worry about relegation.
Lusk’s native New York accent belies the fact that the play is set in Paris and other parts of France, but also emphasises the universality of the theme. The narrative is fast moving as Lusk runs through Me’s life, with Matthew Brown and Hannah Mitchell taking on all the supporting roles from mother and father through girlfriends and brother, and on to daughter and funeral director.
The pace of the script, direction and performances, create a relentless momentum that mirrors a modern day world fixated on finance. Me chases after the money he either wants or needs, never quite managing to be in control of his life. At the end of his journey, far too late for him to do anything about it, he realises how little he has to show for his life and how much more life has to offer.
It could become a heavy handed, worthy piece of story telling that would feel like moralising to audiences that might not have the option to do anything other than struggle to survive, but Lescot avoids this thanks to the humour and sharp observations that run throughout the play, and the relentless energy of the three actors. Brown and Mitchell are the perfect foils to Lusk’s laconic lead, and the flashbacks at the end of the show as Me contemplates his life invites reflection on the difference he has made with his life and whether he is being too hard on himself.
Simply staged, superbly performed, and benefitting from a strong script and sharp direction, Dough is worth spending money on.
Dough runs until 28 August (not 14th or 21st)
The Reviews Hub Score
Money well spent
