DWEEB-A-MANIA

Polka Theatre

★★★★★

“a relentless rollercoaster of laughter and spectacle”

Dweeb-A-Mania is an electrifying burst of theatrical joy — a letter to every young mind that dares to be different. From the moment you enter, the air crackles with expectation, promising a show that doesn’t just invite you in, but sweeps you up in its nerd-charged energy.

The immersive, in-the-round staging is the production’s stroke of genius. The actors don’t merely enter—they emerge from all four sides, instantly drawing everyone into the story. We are not mere spectators in the world of Kemi and Norah, the titular “mega-nerds”; we are guests in their sanctum.

The cast brings the story vividly to life. Playing the “mega-nerd” best friends, Norah (Amy Blake) and Kemi (Chidera Ikechukwu) are a delight, capturing both the intellectual swagger and the social vulnerability of bright teenagers with heartwarming authenticity. Their friendship—with its fierce loyalty and small, corrosive lies—feels painfully real.

The entrance of the popular boy, Bentley, hits like a theatrical lightning bolt. Tom Storey, who plays Bentley, commands the space with charismatic swagger, perfectly disrupting the nerds’ ordered world. His performance—along with several others—uses a heightened, physically expressive style, perfectly pitched for the young audience and ensuring every comedic and emotional beat lands clearly across the entire 360-degree space. Grace Carroll, as Lily, also adds delightful moments to the story.

Hannah Stone’s direction is a triumph of precision and pace. Managing narrative flow in such an exposed configuration is no easy task, yet she orchestrates the action flawlessly. The 50-minute runtime flies by on a relentless rollercoaster of laughter and spectacle. Scene changes are smooth and dynamic, while minimalist set design (Katie Lias) is a masterstroke—providing a scaffold for young imaginations to run wild. The energy is further lifted by pulsating electronic score (Ellie Isherwood) and sharp lighting design (Jane Lalljee). You never feel you’ve missed a moment, even when an actor’s back is turned.

Sarah Middleton’s award-winning script is a marvel, and it’s easy to see why it stood out. Every seemingly throwaway line is a carefully planted seed, paying off brilliantly in the climactic sequence. The eruption of “smoke donuts” and a volley of rubber chickens provoke a chorus of delighted screams from children and anarchic cheers from adults alike.

If the dialogue occasionally sprints ahead of its youngest viewers, it never loses its charm. Dweeb-A-Mania proves that smart theatre for young audiences can still be wild, anarchic fun.

Overall, Dweeb-A-Mania is more than a play—it’s a celebration of the smart, the quirky, and the unapologetically passionate. It entertains, inspires, and builds a temporary but beautiful community of nerds. An unequivocal triumph.

DWEEB-A-MANIA

Polka Theatre

Reviewed on 10th October 2025

by Portia Yuran Li

Photography by Jake Bush and Adela Ursachi

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE BOY WITH WINGS | ★★★ | June 2025

DWEEB-A-MANIA

ROSE at the Ambassadors Theatre

★★★★

“Lipman gives an exemplary performance in control and poise”

Maureen Lipman shows herself to be a consummate storyteller in Martin Sherman’s epic turn of the millennium one-woman play. Directed by Scott Le Crass, Lipman sits almost unmoving for two and a half hours as she relates the life-story of Rose, an eighty-year-old Jewish survivor of the previous century’s turmoil.

Rose sits purposefully on a wooden bench, centre stage, observing shiva; for whom we do not initially know. With a minimal set (Designer David Shields), two walls meet behind where she sits. Understated light changes – red, purple, lilac (Lighting Designer Jane Lalljee) and subtle background music and sound effects – music from an accordion, train noise, flames of the burning Warsaw ghetto, the soft thud of a rifle shot (Sound Designer and Composer Julian Starr) – reflect and illustrate Rose’s recollections.

Rose chats to us, mixing the prosaic with the sensational. For Lipman, it is a great feat of concentration and stamina. For the audience too there is a lot to listen to; every word seems important.

Rose’s remarkable story takes her from a pogrom in her native Ukraine, to the Warsaw ghetto, into Germany, and onto a barely seaworthy ship heading for Palestine pursued by the British Navy. Along the way she recounts her loves and losses including that of her first husband and the shooting of her only daughter. Finally escaping a refugee train heading to ‘nowhere’ in Europe, Rose enters America.

Rose admits herself to being an unreliable narrator. Does her recollection of Cossacks ransacking the family home come from a real childhood memory or a scene from Fiddler on the Roof? Despite the deep subject, there is much humour in the telling. Some comments are genuinely funny, some poignant, some ironic. And when Lipman lands a joke her eyes twinkle and a wry smile shares the humour with the audience. Only once does Lipman raise her voice above the conversational and the scene is the most impactful for that.

It is no wonder that the second half of the play cannot keep up with the pace as Rose embarks on a new life in America with husband number two, who himself cannot live up to the memories of lost husband number one. Perhaps one domestic story here is a trifle long and some direction in the narrative is lost. Until, that is, members of Rose’s family become involved in hostilities on the West Bank which stir up feelings in Rose that her life has been one long conflict. And thus her need to sit shiva. And to share her story.

Maureen Lipman gives an exemplary performance in control and poise. There are no histrionics, her power lies in her natural timing, use of silence, and her ability to hold the audience to her every word and every breath. A masterclass in acting.

Tag Archives: Jane Lalljee

DWEEB-A-MANIA

★★★★★

Polka Theatre

DWEEB-A-MANIA

Polka Theatre

★★★★★

“a relentless rollercoaster of laughter and spectacle”