Spin City

‘Spin City’ at the Brighton Fringe

‘Spin City’

Directed by Jack Kristiansen
Production Manager Sara Young
Bootcamp Productions

Monday afternoon, not much going on besides chores at Spin City launderette – and a robbery.

Spin City kicks off its fun tale with a bank of washing machines, jazzy laundry bags and a lady in a loud overall dancing in because no one’s watching.

The soundscape creates a big world out there with police sirens and radio voices and an incoherent drunk phone-in, plus plumbing and washing machine noises, so we know just where we are. Think ‘Carry On’ – an exaggerated police officer plus jeans-off and fart gags and a bank heist plot with millions in stolen cash flying around the stage.

Chatty dialogue and well-delineated characters, with police procedural, medical moments, political rants and some private personal sufferings lightly sketched in – and it’s these individual drives that decide just what the characters choose to do.

Hayley-Marie Axe as ambitious hobby bobby Special Kaye delivered a great impact, Freyja Chandler’s Lol was a quicksilver waif with a bad habit and a smart mouth, Ellie Roper playing Margaret, the laundry lady with a heart of gold and an embarrassing problem sparked some real laughs from her timing and delivery, Nathan Ariss as Teddy brought a sweet pathos and gentlemanly kindliness and Josh Plummer as Jud proved that a droll, appalled tone with trousers off and bike helmet and jacket on is always going to be funny.

There’s a very satisfying twist in the tale, with a great, surprisingly upbeat final flourish.

Given the cartoon and Carry On tone, a bit more volume, energy and drive in its performance would drag us further into the heightened world the story and sound suggest.

Philippa Hammond