Review: Me and My Doll, Paperback Theatre

Jessica Harris watches a Paperback Theatre production in association with Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton.

A woman on the edge of a confidence crisis. An inflatable doll which comes to life. A soundtrack of those schmaltzy songs of loss and loneliness which so often spring to mind. In terms of budget for performers and set (limited, would be my guess), this piece makes something out of little.

On the eve of her friend’s wedding, Kate is getting ready for an interview for promotion. But her self-esteem is at rock bottom, the protective walls she has built around her are sky-high and she is consumed by anger at a world which expects women to conform to stereotypes.

All in all, Kate’s prospects don’t look good. In an attempt to help her, HR Dave phones, telling her to “tone it down”, and sends her a book, Communication Skills for Dummies. Added to this, Kate has put herself under pressure to find a date for her friend’s wedding, where she is to be the best man.

And so the inevitable happens. After the interview, HR Dave calls to tell her (who hasn’t heard these words?) that he won’t be taking her application any further.

When the inflatable doll comes to life, I was pleased to have another performer on stage. But Kate is less than happy. And real life Doll, it seems, has designs on her. He will be her date for the wedding.

Shenanigans follow – Doll falls for Kate, and ruins her chances of finding anyone else. And if she falls for him, he will be saved from being turned back into a plastic doll. Two outsiders together. What could be sweeter? Sadly, our Kate is having none of it. Her trust has been broken. There is no happy ending here.

Written and directed by Lucy Bird, this piece was spirited and energetic. Lucy Bird, as Kate, was a strong performer who held the stage. George Attwell Gerhards, as Doll, made good use of physicality to capture the movements of a plastic doll. Script and performances sometimes veered uncertainly between humour, tragedy and the surreal. Whilst genres can certainly be mixed to great effect, this production might have been stronger had it decided to push any one of these, and made more of it.

The central theme of women, their status in the world, and how this gets internalised, was left in limbo. Much as we might have wanted our heroine to become empowered, and to be able to celebrate with her, it was not to be.

The production was directed for screen and edited by Neil Reading. It was shot at the Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham.

Pic – Karl Steel