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The Shoe Fits (Liverpool)
Written by Donna Lesley Price
Directed by Richie Grice
Epstein Theatre
(formerly Neptune Theatre)
18th April 2013
Reviewed by Sarah Ryan
With innuendo oozing out of every pore, language that might make the more genteel baulk, there are laughs aplenty in this shoe story with a twist!
The action centres round an upmarket shoe shop, Goody Two Shooz and the trials and tribulations of it’s owner, Jamie and his loyal assistants, Chas, Sally, Liz and the ditsy Daphne. This day in the life offers a rollercoaster ride from the opening dirty phone call from ‘Squeeze me please me’, through bizarre encounters with a ‘foot grooming’ shoe fetishist and a dodgy priest. The staff battle to hilarious and at times poignant effect with husband trouble, sex, shoes, customers and each other, with the one liners coming thick and fast. Nothing is quite as it seems and even the dodgy DJ, Gunther laments not having a back story!
Richie Grice as Jamie puts the ‘camp’ in campervan and stole the show with his wonderfully acerbic ad libs and interactions with the audience. Priceless, when two women from the audience went out half way through a tense moment, much to their embarrassment, he brought the house down with the comment,’ Dya want us to hang on? Must be the weight watchers crowd – they’ve gone out for a pie!’ With a strong cast, plenty of loaded jokes at the expense of ‘George’, sex and Jimmy Choos, the puns and slapstick humour kept the audience rolling in their seats.
Written by local actress Donna Lesley Price, the rapid fire Liverpool humour and characterisation was sharply observed. With a set that owed a lot to Abacan and fun fur and some visual gags, this comedy served up the laughs and some surprising twists.
Sometimes I thought the swearing was a bit of a cheap laugh, but all is forgiven as there were some pure moments were the wonderful spirit of ‘Are You Being Served’ and the saucy seaside humour we Brits are known for was brilliantly channelled in this comedy hit.
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