UK Theatre Network

Dirty Dusting

The Customs House, South Shields

Until 30 January

Since it premiered in February 2003, Dirty Dusting has enjoyed sell-out runs all over the world and played to hundreds of thousands of people. Now the smash-hit comedy, penned by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, has made a triumphant return to the venue that launched it as part of the Customs House’s 15^th anniversary celebration season.

When Gladys, Elsie and Olive discover that they are to be unceremoniously dumped from their cleaning duties as part of a ‘rationalisation’ process in the office block where they work they decide to put their final weekend to good use and boost their pay-offs in the process. A series of ‘wrong number’ dirty phone calls inspires them to set up a phone sex line – The Telephone Belles.

Jean Southern, Gwen Doran and Helen Russell reprise their original roles and deliver their performances with an attack and gusto that belies the fact that the trio have a combined age of 250! Their comedy timing is absolutely spot-on and they don’t miss a single opportunity to shine. Bob Stott, as their bullying boss, Dave, grabs his role with both hands and relentlessly wrings the laughs from it, without ever upstaging the ladies.

Waugh and Wood’s script sparkles with wit and wonderful one-liners and you are almost afraid to laugh too long and loud at one for fear of missing the next. There are many times, though, when it is impossible not to. It is also testament to the skill of the partnership that moments of poignancy and pathos are intertwined with humour and hilarity, giving the girls some great material to work with and further endearing their characters to the audience.

Tickets for this side-splitting show aren’t lying round long enough to gather dust, so make sure you get yours before they are all cleaned out!

STEVE BURBRIDGE.