The title and premise – what women get up to in a nightclub bog – should make for a truly appalling hour of theatre. You'd think it'd be barrel-scrapingly desperate, cliche-ridden and unfunny. It turns out to be guffaw-making and painfully true, to the dismay of the male audience member who, at one point, cried out "oh my god, no!"
Rachel Hirons has written a script packed with different characters, some of whom we only see for a brief scene, some of whom come back again and again as their night unfolds. It's all performed by five actresses in a sliding scale of believable wigs, gravity defying bras and heels, and they're not afraid to pull their knickers down. The whole spectrum is here: the knackered mum on a night out, the random crying girl, the bimbo, the underage kids, the slapper, the cleaner, the woman not having as good a night out as she wanted, the drugs... We've all seen this happen in a club loo. Damnit, we've all done most of this in a club loo.
It's saucily paced and deftly handled with some really good drunk acting (which is always harder than it looks). There's an official trailer but it doesn't capture how alive the play is, so have a look at this one, made when the production company was appealing for funds to take it to Edinburgh (they got the cash; they were a hit). It's also nice to see something that passes the Bechdel Test with flying colours.
When Women Wee is at the Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1 until 19 May, 7.15pm plus 10.30pm Fri and Sat. Tickets £10-£15.
