Nana's Knickers

Ever wondered what might happen if Alan Ayckbourn decided to write a sex comedy?  Well, Phoenix Players have had a good go at finding out – with this new play from Andi Hardy (actually her first full length effort).  Deciding during the Covid lockdown to write a play inspired by the Nanas in her life, Andi has crafted an entertaining play, balancing observational comedy with a saucy wit.

When an incident involving an overdone beef wellington and missing trifle finally pushes Vera over the edge, she walks out on her oblivious husband John and moves in with grand-daughter Jenny.  Determined to get back in the saddle, as it were, Vera enlists the help of Jenny’s gay flatmate Alex, and a quick makeover later she’s bopping with the best of them at the local club.  Things get complicated, however, when it emerges that a drunken Vera may or may not have slept with Jenny’s prospective boyfriend Chris.  Meanwhile, her abandoned husband tries to get to grips with the cooking and housework, abetted by frustrated daughter Alice.  But all ends happily, as Alex hatches a plot to bring Jenny and Chris together, and John finally wakes up and takes action to win back his wife.  If I might make one small suggestion to the writer, I felt it would have been nice to resolve the ‘A’ plot (i.e. Vera and John) at the very end of the play (there was a nice line about trifle to finish on).  As it was, that scene was followed by a coda in which the ‘B’ plot (Jenny and Chris) was resolved.    

This was a show with an emphasis on cheeky fun, and the whole cast threw themselves into the material with gusto.  Fiona Robson is excellent as Nana Vera, showcasing the character’s fearless transformation from grey-haired housewife to randy drunkard; neatly deploying a series of malapropisms as Vera describes herself as a jaguar (instead of cougar), and Alex’s male visitors as (ahem) ‘bum bum calls’ (as opposed to booty calls).  Lisa Cowley also gave a strong performance as the grand-daughter suddenly cast into the role of parent, bringing out Jenny’s frustration at her unexpected houseguest whilst retaining the audience’s sympathy for her singleton plight.  The two of them formed a cross-generational double act that anchored the play most effectively.  As the third member of their household, Baz Stilinski eschewed camp stereotypes as Alex, who appeared equally happy wandering around scratching his you-know-whats as he was when co-ordinating Vera’s life-change.  And in a neat reversal of the usual expectations, it was amusing to see the younger generation outraged at the sex talk of their elders! 

On the other side of the fence, as it were, was Rob Warnes’s John – a character who seemed calmly nonplussed by his wife’s disappearance, initially at least.  He certainly evoked that certain type of man for whom the kitchen is an undiscovered country, and even how to wash up is a mystery!  Even clearing the table was beyond him, as the beef wellington leftovers remained in place for, by my count, at least three days (perhaps this could have been struck earlier than it eventually was?)  I wondered, however, if a man who we are told reads instruction manuals for a hobby would really be so flummoxed by a cooker, or not realise that he has the wrong vacuum cleaner manual.  I did laugh at his evident delight at successfully using a phone, though!  Karen McDonald brought out the frustrations of his daughter Alice very well – her relief at the end as her parents were reunited was palpable!  The pair of them garnered plenty of laughs, as John did his best to negotiate his new life as a single man.

Rounding out the cast was Callum McCormick as the rather reticent Chris, whose near-entanglement with Vera endangers the beginning of a budding relationship with Jenny.  I thought the parallels between the characters of Chris and John were interesting and well demonstrated, and I wondered whether Jenny might be fated to end up in a similar situation to her grandmother some years down the line.  Finally, mention must be made of Adam Clarke, who made two fleeting but impactful appearances as Jamie – one of Alex’s conquests – rushing through the auditorium in the altogether!

The show was presented in the round – as usual at Stratford’s Bear Pit theatre – with the acting space neatly divided in two to represent Vera and John’s house and Jenny and Alex’s flat.  These were effectively lit to delineate the spaces, and the numerous transitions between the two were neatly accomplished by the cast and backstage team.  Andi Hardy – directing her own script – kept the action moving effectively and added some nice flourishes, such as the demonstration of Jenny’s visit to a dating app.  Costumes were well chosen and appropriate – even if some of them did leave little to the imagination!   Some nicely thought out music started the play and entertained us during the interval – perhaps some of this could also have been used to cover the scene changes and to round off the conclusion of act 1, all of which happened in silence?  

All in all, Nana’s Knickers made for a breezily entertaining evening’s entertainment.  Well done to all involved.  My thanks to everyone at Phoenix for the customary warm welcome, and I look forward to seeing where the group – and writer Andi – go next.  I’m sure you can microwave a chicken, though!

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