Weighing In
Reviewed by Natalie Harmon
Tuesday 7th Oct 2014
I walked into the theatre and spotted some greenery, a cone, a tree trunk, and a wooden stand with the words Easi-Slim on the top. I thought reading the information about the play that this was set in an actual weigh in class. But to my great surprise I got it wrong!
This play is most definitely about weighing in and about losing weight , but it also focuses on the hardships we go through as women to get there. And believe me these women go through so much.
The play is so relatable to real life that you will be falling off your chair laughing! Quotes we all hate to hear are thrown at you throughout , for instance “If you want to be thinner don’t finish your dinner” or of course the one we all know “A moment on the lips a life time on the hips” but the funniest was of course “ Don’t dig your grave with a knife and fork”.
But there is also a side of social divide which is carried throughout the play and makes you like the characters even more. How two women from completely different social backgrounds become great friends and a solid rock for each other is amazing to watch. This friendship is made through laughter and tears and of course the pounds they loose and friendships they gain.
I had the pleasure of meeting both actresses after the play and they were as friendly and funny on stage as they are off. Both Rose Henderson (*whom you will all know from Father Ted and Fair City), and Isobel Mahon (a very familiar face from The Clinic and Glenroe) love every part of this show. They discussed with me how the dynamics of every show they do are different. Some nights people will laugh at different parts of the show or some nights it’s a quiet audience until the show is over. They both love the show and enjoy travelling around touring. Last week they had an audience of 200 people and they said it went extremely well.
Isobel and Rose also let me in on a little secret when they were rehearsing ….all I will say is there are no Easi slim rules at those rehearsals! !
This play really is fantastic and I would highly recommend it. The writer Ger Gallagher has written this hilarious play in such a way that whether you are a women in her 20’s or a woman in her 80’s you will relate to everything that is going on. Excellently directed by Caroline Fitzgerald, you can visualise everyone and everything the two ladies are talking about. You will walk away from this play wanting more.
Natalie Harmon is a local Tallaght girl with an interest in the Arts, Theatre, Beauty and as a working Mommy an interest in all things kiddy too!
She writes for The Beauty Dial and The Liberal among other online publications.
Watch out for upcoming reviews from Nat!
