Dirty Dusting – Rainhill Village Hall

Rainhill Garrick Society’s take on Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood’s laugh-out-loud comedy certainly dusts off the cobwebs and guarantees you’ll never look at a vacuum cleaner the same way again!

When three elderly cleaners, Olive (Lynn Aconley), Gladys (Linda Saavedra), and Elsie (Jo Webster), are threatened with redundancy by their arch nemesis and boss Dave (Peter Cliffe), they feel that their lives are coming to an end until a chance wrong number gives them a new business start-up idea: why not run a telephone sex chat line?  They’ve got motive, opportunity, and a lifetime of experience… some more than others. Cue hilarious one-liners in a style not dissimilar to a Carry-On film.

With the play set in a nameless office building in St Helens in 2002, with updated local references, the action takes place across a whole weekend in the same location, so the set is static with Richard Parker and Webster’s design perfectly capturing a simple office floor of the period with their usual sublime attention to detail complete with office bric-a-brac, typewriter, and dial telephones making it all too believable.

With only four actors in the cast, the play demands a skilled team to keep the action flowing and the audience engaged throughout which is where this company always shines, with Aconley, Saavedra, and Webster perfectly cast as the three friends with their natural off-stage camaraderie reflected in a heart-warming on-stage chemistry.

Although it was stretching the imagination to believe that the three actresses are septuagenarians as the play is written, this had no real bearing as issues around staff rationalisation, redundancy, zero hours contracts, and agency workers sadly affect everyone nowadays irrespective of age, and the individual character backstories that develop throughout the play provide the necessary realism and human factor that we can all recognise and connect with.

Aconley shines as the pristine Olive, the former Girl Guide leader with promises and badges galore, whilst Webster is ideally cast as the bolshy Elsie who inspires the rebellion in the first place. Saveedra almost steals the show as Gladys whose story arc takes her from an initially unwilling participant to a full-on sex counsellor by the end.

Cliffe is suitably sycophantic and obnoxious as the villain of the piece, and despite not appearing much, he expertly conveys the duality of his character and underlying insecurities which is no mean feat when you consider the formidable females he is cast against.

Director Tracy Duffy is to be commended for her brave choice of play in a world that currently steers us away from anything bordering on the risqué, and with an eclectic and energetic audience engaged from the off and in fits of laughter throughout, she certainly pulled it off: oh, come on, I had to slip one in there now didn’t I…!

There are always opportunities for new members to get involved so whether you want to explore set building/dressing or try prompting, or are interested in acting or play readings, then why not get involved at Rainhill Garrick Society. Further details https://www.rainhillgarrick.co.uk/

Their next production will be The Perfect Murder, adapted by Hugh Jaynes from a story by Jeffrey Archer, performing 16^th-18^th October 2025 at Rainhill Village Hall, which is a short walking distance from Rainhill Station (Liverpool-Manchester line) with free parking also available (post code for the hall is L35 4LU). There are also several amazing restaurants and bars in Rainhill village, so you could treat yourself before the show and make a night of it.

Reviewer: Mark Davoren

Reviewed: 16^th May 2025

North West End UK Rating: