The Wardrobe Ensemble’s Party Season at Royal and Derngate and on tour – review

Childrens’ parties, entertainers, pass-the-parcel, olive-munching parents, a WhatsApp group… what could possibly go wrong? The comedy Party Season brings into sharp focus some of the often-hidden complexities of parenthood.

The story revolves around three kids’ parties, focusing on the experiences of one dad, Xander (sensitively played by Tom England) and his son Felix. As they move from one party to another, we find out more about Xander’s past, his understanding of himself, and his relationship with his own father. Billed as a comedy, I have to admit the play isn’t quite what I expected. As many stage and screen writers have found, parenting is usually abundant fodder for observational wit and slapstick – with very little depth.

What we have in Party Season is something a little more poignant. At one moment, the action on stage can leave you giggling wickedly at something you recognise – as just one example, the E number-counting parents who give dried apricots as party treats – and the next moment, the script veers to keen and painful truths which offer the audience food for thought. For parents and those close to them, Party Season is a mirror in which there are many reflections to appreciate.

My favourite character has to be Simone, wonderfully played by Kerry Lovell, who is a powerful presentation of the absolute, mind-numbing exhaustion of parenting a young baby. With hair completely covering her face, in an image reminiscent of many horror films, Simone is non-communicative, wandering about and clutching her baby close, before falling asleep in a flowerbed.

Having laughed heartily at these moments, the touching nature of her eventual monologue is surprising, questioning the transformation and loss of original self in becoming a mother. Much of the play’s poignancy is also delivered by James Newton, as the Entertainer, who rapidly transitions from rattling out the cheesiest “dad jokes” to lines which remind grown-up audience members not to forget the simplicity of their own youths.

Just like the party subject of the play itself, the set is also deceptively simple. Balloon arrangements are suspended next to a stark set of five doors, surrounded by colourful polka dot patterns. The way sudden changes in lighting and sound effects abruptly alter the feel of certain scenes is impressive, switching from cheery to eerie in a single moment. The use of characters standing in lit doorways to illustrate WhatApp interactions is also very clever and effective.

Party Season is a play full of unexpected depth, which still offers plenty of opportunities to chuckle at the bizarre truths of parenting.