The Naked Truth (Tour – Manchester)

Venue: The Opera House
Where: Manchester

Raw comedy,
exposed secrets, but barely intellectual, The Naked Truth is a fun and
frivolous production for a girls night out. Put your best heels on, apply the
lipstick and take nothing too
seriously.

If chick
flicks make you smile and the sounds of Tina Turner and The Spice Girls have you
turning your radio to full blast, then you are going to love Theatre Production’s
latest play, which comprises  an
all-star cast. When Sarah (Trudie Goodwin) is faced with the prospects of terminal breast cancer, she, with five other women, begins developing her
pole-dancing skills for a charity event.

Gabby (Abi Titmuss), the teacher,
certainly has her hands full with the hilariously diverse members of the class.
Ranging from the funny fat woman, to the self-absorbed bimbo, the comedy
optimistically proves how opposites can attract when a goal needs to be
achieved.

Each
character carries their own secret burdens, which gradually unfold throughout
the course of the play.Although a light-hearted quality is necessary for the
humour of the piece, the seriousness of revelations are often lost amongst
cliché punch lines. Heightening the sad and occasionally reducing the silly
would give the production a stronger and more poignant balance of
emotion.

Lisa Riley
and Emily Watson, who play the parts of Bev and Faith, make the perfect comedy
duo, frequently having the audience creased with laughter. One of the most
striking and witty moments of the piece comes from their innovative and highly
entertaining pole-dancing to the iconic disco tune, “It’s Raining Men.”.It’s an
experience you won’t forget easily! Together their success surpasses
the rest of the cast, yet each performer does deliver stereotypical characters
with predictable personalities as best as they can, given the slim material.

Exploring
‘men problems’, women’s confidence and first dates, the production is ideal for
middle-aged women to relive the gossips and giggles of a girly sleepover. This
is not to say that there is nothing for the men. Plenty of boobs, legs and lycra
(not to forget a sensual pole dance from Titmuss) is enough to keep testosterone
running high.

Despite having the melodrama of a pantomime or backstage musical,
there is a ‘feel-good’ tone to the piece, where the naked truth proves that, ultimately
girls just wanna have fun!

-Rebecca Cohen