The Unfriend review
A LAUGH OUT LOUD FARCE
REVIEW OF 'THE UNFRIEND'
Fylde Coast Players production of Steven Moffat's 'The Unfriend' is a great night out. A laugh out loud farce bringing a blend of physical comedy, witty dialogue and relatable family life. Steven Moffat is well known from Doctor Who and Sherlock and this, his first play, has had two successful runs in the West End.
Awkwardly British couple, Peter and Debbie, meet Elsa, a voluble American woman on a cruise.'You must look us up if you're ever in town' they say to each other. But Elsa actually follows through and turns up on their doorstep unannounced. It also turns out she may be a serial murderer......
Unfortunately Peter and Debbie are a couple too polite and uptight to ask a suspected killer to leave their home. A ridiculous comedy of manners ensues with rapidly rising hysteria.
This is the first Fylde Coast Players production in the new Chapman Studio at Lowther Pavilion and they did not disappoint. A superb set grounds the action in reality and the use of technology gives it immediacy and relatability. The smaller studio creates an intimacy lacking in the Lowther main auditorium.
The director, Carole Morley, has pulled a strong performance from all her cast members, creating a fine ensemble piece of theatre. Phil Allan is in his element as uptight, mild-mannered , middle-class Peter. A man who finds himself totally out of his depth, his vocal range is used to great effect as panic sets in. Catherine Hughes expertly delivers Debbie – showing her descent from a strong confident woman to a blithering wreck. With marvelous facial expressions which express feelings she is too polite to utter. They are strongly supported by Orla O'Beirne and Anthony Bradley-Dawson, playing their teenage children who transform from stroppy youths to charming young adults under Elsa's influence. Tensions are further ratcheted up by 'the neighbor', perfectly down played by Don Green, a man so dull no one can remember his name – a superb cameo. Chris Sandford plays P.C. Junkin with just the right degree of disbelief. Debbie Couchman is pure delight playing Elsa – who has some of the best one liners in the play. She clearly relishes the brash nature of her character, but she also conveys a strange warmth which eventually rubs off on the whole family.
With great performances, superb writing and endless amounts of laughter, Fylde Coast Players 'The Unfriend' is a comedy to die for.
The Chapman Studio at Lowther Pavilion July 16-19 2025
Box office 01253 794221 or online.
REVIEW OF 'THE UNFRIEND'
Fylde Coast Players production of Steven Moffat's 'The Unfriend' is a great night out. A laugh out loud farce bringing a blend of physical comedy, witty dialogue and relatable family life. Steven Moffat is well known from Doctor Who and Sherlock and this, his first play, has had two successful runs in the West End.
Awkwardly British couple, Peter and Debbie, meet Elsa, a voluble American woman on a cruise.'You must look us up if you're ever in town' they say to each other. But Elsa actually follows through and turns up on their doorstep unannounced. It also turns out she may be a serial murderer......
Unfortunately Peter and Debbie are a couple too polite and uptight to ask a suspected killer to leave their home. A ridiculous comedy of manners ensues with rapidly rising hysteria.
This is the first Fylde Coast Players production in the new Chapman Studio at Lowther Pavilion and they did not disappoint. A superb set grounds the action in reality and the use of technology gives it immediacy and relatability. The smaller studio creates an intimacy lacking in the Lowther main auditorium.
The director, Carole Morley, has pulled a strong performance from all her cast members, creating a fine ensemble piece of theatre. Phil Allan is in his element as uptight, mild-mannered , middle-class Peter. A man who finds himself totally out of his depth, his vocal range is used to great effect as panic sets in. Catherine Hughes expertly delivers Debbie – showing her descent from a strong confident woman to a blithering wreck. With marvelous facial expressions which express feelings she is too polite to utter. They are strongly supported by Orla O'Beirne and Anthony Bradley-Dawson, playing their teenage children who transform from stroppy youths to charming young adults under Elsa's influence. Tensions are further ratcheted up by 'the neighbor', perfectly down played by Don Green, a man so dull no one can remember his name – a superb cameo. Chris Sandford plays P.C. Junkin with just the right degree of disbelief. Debbie Couchman is pure delight playing Elsa – who has some of the best one liners in the play. She clearly relishes the brash nature of her character, but she also conveys a strange warmth which eventually rubs off on the whole family.
With great performances, superb writing and endless amounts of laughter, Fylde Coast Players 'The Unfriend' is a comedy to die for.
The Chapman Studio at Lowther Pavilion July 16-19 2025
Box office 01253 794221 or online.
