Writer: Charlotte Ashton
Director: Anthony Biggs
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Devastatingly Powerful“
4.5 / 5
Not all men – but all women have sadly had uncomfortable, dangerous or intense experiences with at least one of them. Dolly used to use the moments as material in her stand up comedy sets, but after being attacked on the way home from work, she’s spiralling, and struggling to see a way out.
Initially, Dolly (Jessica Clark) is shaken up and traumatised, but doing her best to stay “normal”, not letting the attacker affect her, confident in the justice system that he will be caught and punished. Despite several sessions of therapy, an attentive boyfriend and a police officer who promises results, Dolly struggles to heal from the incident, slipping further and further away from her former self. And, as time progresses, evidence is brushed away, her story is scrutinised and she becomes another statistic of an assault that can’t be prosecuted.
Ashton’s writing is devastatingly powerful – accurately and imperatively portraying the infuriating frustration of normalised behaviour and the failed justice system. The show starts with a short comedy set, calling on the audience for some awkward crowd work, which introduces Dolly’s career well, but could be trimmed somewhat to avoid the uncomfortable seat shuffling and averting of gazes as the audience desperately hope not to be picked on. It quickly transforms from stand up to stand out – as Dolly’s experiences start to unravel. The occasional humour is still woven through, helping to give some breathing room to what is otherwise a very intense production, and done without feeling forced or out of place.
Ashton backs up her character’s experiences with statistics about convicted assault cases – projected onto the back wall using a camera that Clark also occasionally talks into. The dolls strewn across the stage, the stark, sporadic lighting and loud white noise sound effects create a manic, chaotic atmosphere, that aptly represents Dolly’s mindset as she tries to process what has happened to her. Clark is passionate, emotive and brilliantly believable, her transformation from bubbly comic, to a nerve-wracked, paranoid, depressed shell is remarkably done. The other characters she portrays such as the doctor, police officer or her boyfriend are all shown with their own individual mannerisms, making it easy to identify who is who, and establishing additional aspects of the story.
Clark’s magnetic delivery captivates the audience with every word – it’s a tough watch due to the intensity of the narrative, and some of the shocking events that transpire, but sadly it’s a necessary one, that leaves a lasting impact on the audience as they leave the theatre.
Runs until 7th November 2026
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