Review by Paul Towers, 23/3/24
Rott£n by Josie White
Directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair
Produced by Emmerson Ward Productions
At Curve 22 & 23 March 2024
“hilarious, satirical and wildly improbable”
Having followed the work of Emmerson Ward Productions for some years I was not expecting this work from new playwright Josie White. It was hilarious, satirical and wildly improbable. Or was it?
Three aspiring actresses Saoirse (Nicola Taggart),
a ballsy Belfast girl doing self-taped auditions, Coco (Narisha Lawson), a mixed race go-getter and Sonia (Kavita Vyas)
an Asian princess who has spent her allowance from Daddy. These three are
living in a grotty flat hardly able to pay the electric of Netflix bills.
London is a lonely place with no work and no money.
However what they do have in this digital world is an aspirational peek on
their phones at the life of Instagram influencer Iris Montague-Willis (Alice
Berry) living across the street with her rich husband. Having filmed Ms MW in a
compromising position with a girlfriend they, along with Sonia’s on-off toe
rage boyfriend Ross (Sam Butters), decide to blackmail her.
As with the very best of comedic thrillers things go wildly wrong with more
plot twists than an M1 contraflow!
Josie White’s pin sharp script mixes cultural references with biting wit to produce an hilarious hour of satirical tropes.
Director/designer Rikki Beadle-Blair keeps the momentum going right up to the denouement, which I guarantee you will not see coming.
I sincerely hope that Josie White continues her collaboration with both Curve and Emerson Ward in the future. She has a great ear for dialogue and I look forward to whatever she does next.
Check out the website for future touring dates
www.emmersonandward.com
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