Slippery When Wet – Bewley’s Cafe Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

Dates: April 10th (preview 8th & 9th) to April 27th,  2024
Slippery When Wet – Written and performed by Leanne Devlin

Armed with a mop, a young woman is cleaning the floor in an anonymous supermarket. She could be anywhere. She makes clear this is not her chosen career. She studied at drama school for three years, graduated, was gainfully employed for a while and then nothing. She has been forced to return home and live with her mother. She is now reduced to mopping floors but her romantic soul is still alive and throbbing. It is set alight by one of her colleagues called “Love”, who is 5 foot 8 and wears spectacles. She fantasises about him. She describes the successes and failures of their meetings. Meanwhile, she has to contend with her prying mother who interrogates her with twenty questions anytime she goes out. It is a fast-moving story.

There is no set as such. Devlin relies on her red cleaning lady’s uniform, along with her bucket and mop to set the scene. It is splendidly economical. If her dreams as an actor have been shelved, her dreams as a young romantic are rampant.

Devlin has an ability to draw you into her world. Under the direction of Emma Copland she uses her few props to innovative effect as her longings for “Love” become increasingly dominant. She undergoes pain to achieve the glamorous look that she fantasises “Love” is expecting. The audience is on her side throughout as she handles her life and searches for something better.

In the Dublin Fringe Festival 2023 “Slippery When Wet” won the Bewley’s Cafe Little Gem award. Fortunately, it is now back in Dublin. Devlin makes an absorbing hour of theatre out of the inner life of a cleaning lady which is no mean feat. The script in the hands of its creator is clever and engaging. Find the time to go to Bewleys at lunchtime and enjoy.

CAST AND CREW

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY: Leanne Devlin

DIRECTED BY: Emma Copland