DA VINCI’S LAUNDRY

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“slick in all the right ways”

Keelan Kember’s new play, set in the corrupt (and bizarre) world of high art, is a witty and playful piece of theatre.

Christopher (Kember) and his colleague Milly (Arsema Thomas) work together at a fictional art house (Beauchamps) They are tasked with selling a genuine Leonardo Da Vinci. Except it’s not a genuine Leonardo Da Vinci. And their clients are both obscenely wealthy and obscenely trigger-happy. Bit of an eek.

Kember’s script is characteristically witty, with Kember himself – still confusingly endearing – leading the charge. Directed by Merle Wheldon, the whole piece is compelling and compact, even for the majority of us plebs who knows nothing about the art world. John Albasiny as Boris, the Russian oligarch who has made his fortune in *cough* aluminium (with a sprinkling of cadavers along the way) is excellent. Though tiny in stature, he’s pretty terrifying, and commands the stage completely. As the Prince, Fayez Bakhsh is also an excellent addition, horrifying in his own spoilt, childish way.

The set design (Eleanor Wintour) deserves its own paragraph. It is the perfect complement to the premise: the glossy, white minimalism is visually satisfying, but it also works in a fascinating conceptual dichotomy with the ostentation and conspicuous capitalistic world the play centralises (the method for transitions is also excellent). Good stuff.

There are some tonal inconsistencies in the characterisations which are a little jarring. The acting varies from the pantomimic to the minimalist, which can, a times, be whiplash-y. Steve Zissis as Tony, the epitome of a free-market capitalist and Republican is certainly very watchable, if a little implausible. He is funny, but again, a little pantomime-esque, which is sometimes at odds with the play’s overall vibe. And perhaps the barrage of jokes at the expense of Americans and the differences between them and the British are a little over-wrought.

The strength of Kember’s script lies largely in the delightful repartee and gentle sardonicism, which he, as an actor, exemplifies. The one scene without him actually stands out as a little extraneous, though this could be because of the somewhat contrived romantic sub-plot. But these are small points.

‘Da Vinci’s Laundry’ is slick in all the right ways. Above all else, it is entertaining – which is not a given in the current theatrical landscape – and very amusing. It’s tight, it’s clever, it’s genuinely funny.

Tag Archives: Arsema Thomas

DA VINCI’S LAUNDRY

★★★★

Riverside Studios

DA VINCI’S LAUNDRY

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“slick in all the right ways”