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Men Behaving Badly Stage Play Misses Mark
3 Feb
Summary
- Stage adaptation struggles to balance impersonation and reinterpretation.
- Plot device requires Gary to marry before Dorothy gives birth.
- Play feels like a misconception with underdeveloped female characters.
The Barn Theatre in Cirencester presents a stage adaptation of Simon Nye's popular 90s sitcom, "Men Behaving Badly," set on millennium eve in 1999.
The production faces challenges common to television-to-stage transfers, particularly in its casting choices. While Matt Howdon and Tricia Adele-Turner closely impersonate their original characters, Ellie Nunn and Ross Carswell offer more distinct interpretations, creating an uneven ensemble.
Joseph O'Malley's direction navigates between re-enactment and independent performance, complicated by a video appearance from one of the original actors. The play attempts to expand on the sitcom's original plots, introducing two ticking clocks: Gary must marry a heavily pregnant Dorothy to inherit from an aunt, and Tony has 24 hours to convince Deb to marry him so he can move to Melbourne.
