Writers: Georgina Housby & Sam Dinnage
Director: Sam Dinnage
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Loutish but Lingering“
4 / 5
Jodie was fed up living at home, desperate to escape and start enjoying her life. But, the fun house share she thought she had signed up for wasn’t quite the one she ended up in. Cans littered all over the room, half naked students sprawled across the sofa and not a working appliance in sight, it’s not ideal – but at least it’s not home, right?
The only female in a house of four lewd, loutish, laddish lads – Jodie (Georgina Housby) sticks out like a sore thumb, but she’s desperate for a fresh start and a new environment, so she tries incredibly hard to fit in, pounding shots and smoking weed even though all she really wants to do is sip a nice coffee and play a board game. Her flatmates are purposefully unlikable – gym bunny Alex (Will Meadowcroft) is a classic F’boy, bringing a constant stream of random girls back to the flat, and treating them like conquests. Ben (Tom Griffiths) is similar, frequently cheating on his girlfriend Ella (Polly Dennett) without remorse, Jack (Matt Underhill) and Mary (Luke Dyer) are the slightly less obnoxious two of the bunch, but still pillars of poor decisions and toxic masculinity.
Sophie Tate’s simple yet brilliantly effective set design immediately and completely immerses the audience into the grotty student flat, as does Annabel McCusker’s hungover introduction to the audience, lazily indicating for people sit down, chronically unbothered and desperate to shake off the effects from the night before. It’s a great touch and adds to the level of detail that director Sam Dinnage has taken into consideration. The beginning half of the show is a light-hearted window into the group of friends, and their questionable ‘boys banter’. A surprising amount of slurs are littered through the script, which feels unnecessary – though it’s to make them even more undesirable, the boys behaviour is enough to show the type of people they are, so the wording feels more intended to add an offensive shock factor!
That aside, the characterisation is very well done, their personalities established quickly and clearly through small snippets of conversations. Occasional comments during these interactions are bought up such as who lived in Jodie’s room prior, or what happened to make Jack retreat inwards, that never are never fully clarified, left open-ended and lingering, forcing the audience to come to their own conclusions after the intense final scenes.
As Jodie’s pattern of drinking gets heavier and more problematic, the tone of the show slowly shifts from comedic to dramatic – Jodie’s insight into her mother and family life is brief, but well-broached, the snapshots of her stepping away, overwhelmed during the various parties are impactful and the final ten minutes, with two incredibly shocking, intense reveals are excellently written and performed. Housby gives a devastatingly believable performance, which is complemented brilliantly by the natural, well-paced and realistic portrayals from Underhill, Meadowcroft, Griffiths and Dyer.
Beneath the bluster, bravado, and beer cans, Spare Room reveals a surprisingly emotional core. Messy and moving, it’s a production that keeps the audience unsettled in all the right ways.
Runs until 3rd August 2025
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