Whiplash – Courtyard Theatre, Old Street (Camden Fringe)

Writer: Rachel Isobel Heritage  
Director: Saffron Woolven

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Unique Premise“

3 / 5

The women at the Olympus Gentleman’s club are fed up with late fines, house fees and disrespectful customers, but being one of the only clubs left in the area – leaving is not really a viable option. Nemesis left years ago after an altercation in the VIP lounge, but she’s back with a plan that will hopefully change their careers for the better.  

The premise for Whiplash is wonderfully enticing – shining a light on some of the lesser talked about issues such as the misclassification of workers, wage theft and licensing systems that create a monopolised industry. These aspects are touched on, but only as brief sentences and quick discussions rather than really getting into the nitty gritty parts of the industry. These quick discussions do make fantastic comments though – the women taking power and pride from their work, and wise to the charges and loopholes that the club impose to make more profit.  

Running at 90 minutes long, it struggles to fill the time, so instead of championing key scenes such as the conversation about the unfortunate closure of a nearby club, there are instead a lot of mundane scenes where they are are sat around the club or ordering drinks from the flustered barman. During these filler scenes where the audience are flies on the wall in the club – much of the dialogue feels improvised and unpolished, which adds to the feeling of trying to run down the clock rather than focus on any specific messages. Although a few of these scenes are great to show how the club differs during the quieter times and the bond the women have together, there are just one too many, that halt the otherwise interesting storyline. Due to the length, the pacing is very stunted – with much of the show running at a snails pace, the audience desperately wanting a bit more bite and snappier transitions between scenes to deliver what was expected to be an action-packed, bold show with a lot to say. 

One element of the show that is wonderfully incorporated – are the pole scenes by each of the performers. Clearly well-trained and highly skilled, all of the performers get their moment in the spotlight with a routine on the pole. Some of these scenes are standalone dances, others in the background of dialogue, but all are performed well, each with differing styles that help to establish their personalities off the pole as well as on it. Lauren Shotton (Chanel), Hannah Cauchi (Nemesis) and writer Rachel Isobel Heritage (Nikii) are particularly talented, each exuding confidence and precision both in their dances and their character depictions. Cauchi and Heritage have some excellent conversations about their work and the club, and it’s these moments that truly standout and grab audience attention. Rosie Carson (Candy) as the shy new girl, is comedic and plays into her awkward character well, while Chris Agha (Victor) does a great job as the brutish, profit hungry club owner.  

This is a unique storyline with some important, memorable and inspiring messages – with some swift edits and minor amendments, this show could be in pole position.  

Runs Until 17^th August 2024