Clothes may make the man, but naked people have little influence and when everyone can see you in your underwear curtains are called for.
So finds our slightly rumpled hero as he performs his morning ablutions. In somewhat unflattering underwear and shirttails he spends an almost wordless ten minutes carrying out his mundane daily preparations and taking care of his recalcitrant dog.
When he realises that he presents a less than attractive public view a little window dressing is required. Not just makeshift curtains to hide him from prying eyes but a statement piece, something that will speak of who he is.
A visit to the haberdasher might seem blindly obvious (even if he is actually a draper if we get down to brass tacks). But the merchant has a rather sinister feel, not to mention some unconventional techniques, and to deliver these characterful curtains could be a tall order.
The piece has the nostalgic feel of a 60’s or 70’s TV sketch, with fittingly good costume design. The plot is largely limited to one extended joke and lacks much depth. The back-lit images of the haberdasher with mysterious items and menacing pinking shears are effective, but his true nature and motives remain screened from view. In the hands of comic geniuses, it might just work as a short skit.
The running time as stated is 45 minutes, but as seen it was nearer 25. The piece offers a pair of curtains but with uneven halves seems to lack enough material to draw them together.
Show Times: 5 – 7 August 2016 at 7pm.
Ticket Prices £7 - £24 (family).
Suitability: U