Review: Birds of a Feather (UK Tour) at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Birds of a Feather (UK Tour)

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 14th May 2013

Birds of a Feather ran on the BBC for almost 10 years until 1998. 25 years later Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph have returned to their iconic roles for a UK Tour and I am pleased to report that they are funnier than ever!

Birds of a Feather is nothing but pure fun. Fans of the show will love the story as we discover what Sharon Theodopolopodous, Tracey Stubbs and Dorian Green have been up to since they were last seen on screen. It is revealed that Sharon and Tracy haven't seen Dorien for years, but  suddenly out of the blue  they receive a letter from her saying she needs to see them urgently...

Birds of a Feather is packed with some of the funniest one liners I have ever heard and makes the perfect girls night out, you don't necessarily have to be a fan of the sitcom to have a great time. Pauline, Linda and Lesley all make spectacular entrances and were greeted with cheers from the audience. A touch of spontaneity was added to proceedings as couple of minor mistakes were made (Pauline couldn't find a prop and Linda forgot to unscrew a wine bottle when pouring a drink) which made the evening even funnier.

Pauline, Linda and Lesley have the most incredible chemistry and bounce off each other in every scene.  Lesley Joseph is outrageously funny as man-eating Dorian Green, her skirts become unbelievably shorter in each scene. Pauline Quirke seems at home on stage and is side-splittingly funny as poor, clueless Sharon Theodopolopodous. Linda Robson also gives a strong performance as Tracey Stubbs who is agoraphobic, meaning she can only leave the house with a LIDL bag over her head (Dorien demands she changes it to a Waitrose bag).

During the first act scenes are separated with short videos which are projected onto the front curtain. I wasn't too keen on this as it didn't add anything to the performance. However, the design of the tour is impressive, the set is completely changed in a matter of minutes. All cast members had microphones which is unusual when performing a play and a few minor sound issues became a little irritating.

If you want to have a fun, light hearted night out at the theatre I cannot think of a better show to see than Birds of a Feather. It almost felt like I was just sat at home on my couch... with lots of other people.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)

andrew@westendframe.com

Birds of a Feather runs at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Saturday 18th May 2013.

For information about the tour visit www.birdsontour.com.

Photo Credit: John Kemp

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