October 23, 2007
‘Back by grumpy demand after three sell-out tours’, Jenny Eclair’s Grumpy Old Women returns to Oxford for another night of handbags, tutting, moaning, finger-wagging, singing and damn fine granny dancing. Entering the packed theatre for this one night show, it is unsurprising to notice how vastly the men are outnumbered by middle-aged women, chatting away cheerfully to their neighbours in anticipation of a what should be an evening of pure fun and entertainment. I feel safe in saying that no matter how old, grey, or grumpy you might be, tonight was just that.
The witty lines are endless and it would be impossible to try to cover them all. From the moment the three grumps take to the stage - Coronation Street star Denise Black, former Swedish Bond girl Britt Ekland and original Grump Dillie Keane – the comedy is palpable. Within minutes Trinny and Susannah have been identified as gays dressed in drag, we have been treated to the ‘Postmenopausal Workout’ (why go to a gym?), taught the ‘disapproving look’ and joined in with a loud, united ‘tut’. There doesn’t seem to be a moment when someone in the audience isn’t having a chuckle.
The star of the show is definitely Dillie Kane, the grump veteran whose voice flits from posh, deep bellowing to quiet but marked disdain. Her accompanying facial expressions and comical movements have the audience in stitches. Indeed, whilst Denise Black and Britt Ekland are both also fantastic, they never really seem quite grumpy or old enough in comparison – the former relatively smiley and energetic, the latter petite and certainly still very glamorous.
Being a grumpy old woman, we are told, has nothing to do with age - more a ‘state of mind’. In fact, as Britt tells us, ‘grumpy old women have always existed – they just used to be called witches.’ Whether it be the constant writing of lists; referring back to the ‘good old days’; holding everyone up in a queue while you fumble around for change; or simply craving that good old cup of tea - there is a grumpy old woman in all of us. True or not, there were certainly a lot of satisfied (and not very grumpy-looking) faces to be seen leaving the theatre afterwards – a job well done and a night to be remembered.
The witty lines are endless and it would be impossible to try to cover them all. From the moment the three grumps take to the stage - Coronation Street star Denise Black, former Swedish Bond girl Britt Ekland and original Grump Dillie Keane – the comedy is palpable. Within minutes Trinny and Susannah have been identified as gays dressed in drag, we have been treated to the ‘Postmenopausal Workout’ (why go to a gym?), taught the ‘disapproving look’ and joined in with a loud, united ‘tut’. There doesn’t seem to be a moment when someone in the audience isn’t having a chuckle.
The star of the show is definitely Dillie Kane, the grump veteran whose voice flits from posh, deep bellowing to quiet but marked disdain. Her accompanying facial expressions and comical movements have the audience in stitches. Indeed, whilst Denise Black and Britt Ekland are both also fantastic, they never really seem quite grumpy or old enough in comparison – the former relatively smiley and energetic, the latter petite and certainly still very glamorous.
Being a grumpy old woman, we are told, has nothing to do with age - more a ‘state of mind’. In fact, as Britt tells us, ‘grumpy old women have always existed – they just used to be called witches.’ Whether it be the constant writing of lists; referring back to the ‘good old days’; holding everyone up in a queue while you fumble around for change; or simply craving that good old cup of tea - there is a grumpy old woman in all of us. True or not, there were certainly a lot of satisfied (and not very grumpy-looking) faces to be seen leaving the theatre afterwards – a job well done and a night to be remembered.