A comedy of wit, wordplay and wild theories
You have to stay rooted to your chair when witnessing this utterly fast-paced conspiracy slapstick thriller, presented by The Defectors. Directed by James Darby, Chair Woman is a show that may need to be rewatched for its complexity to be fully grasped.
The sheer number of conspiracy references amalgamated into one play could not have been thought up by fewer than three people: James Darby himself, Harrison Cole and Daniel Hemsley. Between Hulk Hogan, Gatewater, Area 51, Avril Lavigne, Paul McCartney, Bigfoot and, of course, plots to assassinate presidents, the three writers certainly were not shy about incorporating puns, plays on words and references to historical plots (although no lizards!).
It was a full house that night, mainly consisting of a younger audience. The stage initially featured just two chairs and a neck pillow. Throughout the show, the main props were those used in the conspiracies themselves, whether it was a huge ball of yarn acting as a bomb or phones hidden in the most inconspicuous of places. For example, an antenna hidden inside a rotary dial phone itself… nothing is as it seems.
The play starts with three characters apparently conducting a Zoom meeting to discuss a new task: to kill the president. This prologue feels quite unrelated to the scenes that follow, making it forgettable, as the subject only returns much later in the play, by which point most of the audience will have forgotten the initial meeting. The play could easily have done without this opening scene, perhaps giving the rest of the story a little more room to breathe so the audience is not constantly trying to mentally catch up with the references. However, the quick-wittedness of the script is also what makes this show so engaging.
The acting is quite spectacular. Harrison Cole is hilarious in his role as Paulie, the taxi driver. Constantly trying too hard not to sound sexist or racist to his poor customer, his jokes become so bad they are good. His ability to embody several vastly different personalities is remarkable. With just one or two costume changes, we barely recognise the man who was once playing such a ridiculous character when he breaks into his Machiavellian laugh.
Amy Cotter moves from playing a very posh American mother to a German upholstery scientist, while also impersonating a Russian and an Italian along the way. It is hard to keep up with such talented accent work. Her ability to metamorphose so quickly into different characters, each as believable as the next, is truly admirable.
Daniel Hemsley, most recognisable for playing the rather dim-witted president and the Redactor, is also fantastic in all his roles, right down to the well-choreographed, resounding thuds of his Sasquatch feet.
Finally, Ellie Church is the only performer who primarily stays in one character: the charmingly innocent conspiracy hero Patsy Darning, the Chair Woman herself. From the energy of a moody teenager to the determination of a well-meaning young woman ready to save the world, Ellie Church makes the world of upholstery seem, at the very least, quite thrilling!
Chair Woman is a show for those who want a good laugh, but who must feel up to the task of catching those puns as they appear!
Chair Woman will run again at the Bread and Roses Theatre, London, as part of the Rosebuds Festival at the end of January 2027. Tickets not yet available.