Nana’s Naughty Knickers – Naughty Good Fun
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Date Reviewed: 22/08/2024
Hubby and I rode our scooter to our local theatre, The Arts Theatre on Angas Street, Adelaide, to see Nana’s Naughty Knickers.
What happens when Bridget and her lively grandmother become roommates?
Bridget saw a unique opportunity to stay with her favourite nana in New York for the summer. She found her running an illegal boutique from her rent-controlled apartment, selling handmade lingerie to all the senior citizens of the precinct.
Will Nana get arrested or, even worse, evicted?
Adelaide ‘theatre royalty’ Cast:-
Penni Hamilton Smith – Sylvia
Chris Galipo – Vera, Sylvia’s side-kick
Kayla Cranfield – Sylvia’s innocent grand-daughter, Bridget
Clinton Nitschke – Tom, the lovelorn police officer
Frank Cwiertniak – the owner of the apartment block, Mr Schmidt
Monique Millar – dominatrix Heather Van Pree
Therese Hornby – Mr Schmidt’s wife, Clair
Marcus Catt – the UPS delivery guy
A Katherine DiSacino play directed by Barry Hill, this piece has enough silliness to make you laugh out loud (even when you don’t want to) and forget your own troubles for just a little while.
At first, the American accents might catch you off guard, but as you become familiar with the quirky characters, they quickly become an endearing part of the experience.
The standout performance for me was Chris Galipo’s performance as the deaf, mobility-impaired best friend Vera, who had some of the best lines and delivered them to perfection. Also, Marcus Catt’s performance as the delivery guy had only a small part but made a fabulous impact.
It is a silly, uncomplicated play with quite a few plot flaws and unlikely characters. All is soon forgiven, as you find yourself just enjoying the simple pleasure of watching the actors revelling in their roles, just to make you laugh. And laugh we did, many times, the crowd broke out into spontaneous, joyous and sometimes guilty giggles.
The set design is quite simple but contains some very clever moving parts to hide the secret stash of merchandise. I personally would have preferred the ‘naughty knickers’ to be sexier to match the title of the show, but that’s me, and I do think the cast could have pulled it off.
Get out when you can, support local artists, and you’ll definitely have some fun!!